People living close to the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak, which has killed 131 people, have spoken of their fear as a World Health Organization (WHO) representative warned that cases may be spreading faster than originally thought.
One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, said infected people were dying “very fast” and added: “Ebola has tortured us.”
Officials said more than 513 cases were suspected in DR Congo as of Tuesday, while one person has died in neighbouring Uganda.
WHO’s Dr Anne Ancia said the more the agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes that cases have spread to other areas.
Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, released on Monday, suggested there had been “substantial” under-detection and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases.
The study suggested that the current outbreak is “larger than currently ascertained” and that its “true magnitude remains uncertain”.
A man identified as Bigboy said people are “really scared” and doing what they can to protect themselves.
He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could access other protective supplies such as face masks.
Another Ituri resident, Alfred Giza, said people in the community are aware of the threat and are waiting to receive face masks to protect themselves, but that he would not know what to do if a family member or friend contracted the disease.
The Red Cross warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information, and health systems are overwhelmed, adding that “we are seeing all those conditions” in the current outbreak.
On Tuesday, DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi called for “calm” and urged Congolese citizens to remain vigilant after holding a crisis meeting on Monday evening.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak an international emergency last week, said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”.
It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on 24 April.
There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola virus fuelling the latest rise in cases, but WHO is evaluating whether other drugs may provide protection.
Speaking to Newsday, Ancia said DR Congo’s Ituri province was a “very unsecured area with lots of movement of population”, making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease.
She continued: “The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across the border and also in other provinces.”
The outbreak has spread to the province of South Kivu, where the population has faced a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.
There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s biggest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 people and is under the control of Rwandan-backed rebels.
High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around often, increasing the risk of the virus spreading, she said.
Several African countries are taking precautions by tightening border screenings and preparing health facilities. Neighbouring Rwanda has also closed its borders with DR Congo. Uganda has advised people to avoid hugging and shaking hands.
An American citizen, believed to be missionary group doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.
Germany’s health ministry said a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.
WHO and other agencies are working with governments and communities to try to stop the spread of the virus, urging residents to follow preventive measures and report to the nearest health facility if they experience symptoms.
What is Ebola and how does it spread?
Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, headache, and tiredness.
As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop, and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.
The virus spreads from one person to another through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.
The Bundibugyo strain fuelling this rise in cases is rare and has previously caused only two outbreaks, killing about a third of those infected.
Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.
It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine.
The disease spread to several countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the US, the UK, and Italy, killing 11,325 people.
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