Humanitarian organisation Médecins sans frontières (MSF) has compared the medical battle to tackle the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province of  Democratic Republic of Congo to fighting a megafire.

As of October 4, DR Congo had recorded 8,603 confirmed Ebola cases, including 4,148 related deaths, with the MSF reporting that nearly 40 per cent of new cases recorded since early September were concentrated in North Kivu.

“It is like fighting a megafire,” Stéphanie Hoffmann, the coordinator of the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Butembo said on Tuesday. 

She added, “Multiple outbreaks are developing at the same time, with varying intensity and in different locations. As long as new hotspots continue to emerge while the virus spreads across northern North Kivu, containing the epidemic will remain extremely difficult.”

Despite North Kivu having the biggest Ebola outbreak in recent weeks, the MSF noted that “As of 28 September, 34 per cent of confirmed Ebola patients were still being treated in non-specialised health facilities because of limited bed capacity in dedicated treatment centres and delays in diagnosis.”

Ms Hoffmann said the number of cases recorded in recent days had slightly declined but warned that infections could surge again in the province as cases continued to rise in neighbouring Beni.

“Although Butembo has reported a slight decline in confirmed cases in recent days, neighbouring Beni has seen infections rise. This does not mean that case numbers will not rise again in Butembo, or other locations later. The outbreak remains highly unpredictable, with transmission patterns changing from week to week,” she noted. 

She added, “For weeks, treatment capacity has stretched to its limit. Because there are not enough beds available, we are sometimes forced to refer confirmed Ebola patients elsewhere, despite the significant risk this poses to the wider community. In addition, standards of care in some peripheral facilities do not always meet the requirements for Ebola treatment. This is extremely concerning.”

Meanwhile, the MSF acknowledged that it cannot respond to the crisis alone, calling for urgent international mobilisation to tackle the crisis.