DRC Ebola: 93% of Cases Missed by Contact Tracing

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are struggling to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak, as surveillance efforts fall significantly short. Despite expectations of identifying around 420,000 contacts for the roughly 7,000 confirmed cases, only about 30,000 individuals are currently on contact lists. This gap highlights that the outbreak remains entrenched within communities, with over 80% of new infections detected among individuals not previously registered as contacts. This indicates transmission is occurring beyond the reach of current surveillance mechanisms.

The outbreak, which commenced in May, has become the second-largest on record and has now expanded to 63 health zones across seven provinces, including new areas near the South Sudan border. While some signs of slowing transmission have been observed in the hardest-hit regions, officials emphasize the continued seriousness of the situation. The ability to control the outbreak hinges on improving surveillance and ensuring new cases are identified within monitored contact lists, rather than from unknown community transmissions.