An estimated half of all Ebola infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may be going undetected, as the outbreak continues to spread across parts of the country.
British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson said only about half of the actual cases have likely been identified throughout the outbreak, raising concerns that transmission could continue for another year.
Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo have now exceeded 11,000, six months after the outbreak was declared in May.
Ferguson’s team estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 people are currently infected.
Meanwhile, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the response remains hampered by shortages of supplies, unpaid healthcare workers, and ambulances lacking fuel.
MSF also raised concerns over widespread transmission in healthcare facilities, noting that nearly three-quarters of Ebola patients in the Beni health zone in North Kivu are believed to have contracted the virus in such settings.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
It is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
