DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
Early Treatment and Reliable Oxygen Supply Seen as Crucial in DRC Ebola Response
Qinilo.com – DRC – Health teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are facing mounting pressure as the country’s current Ebola emergency surpasses 8,000 confirmed infections, with the ability to reach patients quickly emerging as one of the most important factors in survival.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared in May and has become the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the country. Congolese authorities have confirmed 8,067 cases and 3,901 deaths. The resulting fatality rate is above 48 per cent, with 63 health zones affected across seven of the DRC’s 26 provinces.
Although transmission has started to ease in certain locations, the overall number of infections remains severe. The scale of the crisis is testing referral networks, treatment capacity, staffing and the dependable delivery of essential medical supplies in areas where patients may struggle to arrive at a health facility in time.
“While we are beginning to see a reduction in transmission in some areas, the number of cases remains high for this outbreak,” Dr Janet Diaz of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme told reporters in Geneva.
Getting patients to care sooner
For Ebola patients, the period between becoming ill and receiving professional medical care can be decisive. Symptoms can worsen rapidly, and treatment centres can provide monitoring, fluids, management of complications and infection-control measures that are difficult to sustain in a household or community setting.
“We know that for Ebola disease, early access to care can significantly improve chances of survival,” Dr Diaz said. “Yet in this outbreak, many people are still dying at home or in their communities because they are unable to reach health facilities on time.”
Dr Diaz recently completed her second visit to the DRC since the outbreak began. During the trip, she visited treatment facilities in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the northeast and a centre of the epidemic. Her observations highlighted how delayed care-seeking, limited access and complicated referral arrangements continue to hinder the wider response.
Health authorities and humanitarian partners have concentrated on identifying suspected illness earlier, improving rapid referral pathways and beginning supportive care as soon as possible. These steps matter not only for individual patients but also for the broader response: prompt assessment can help people access appropriate care while reducing the risk of further exposure within communities and health facilities.
“Delays in seeking care, together with challenges in access and referral, continue to complicate the response,” she said.
More beds, but a continuing need for trained teams
Treatment capacity has expanded substantially since the first weeks of the outbreak. Facilities across the seven affected provinces now have more than 1,600 beds in 50 Ebola treatment centres, up from only a small number of beds when the emergency began. Plans call for capacity to rise beyond 2,000 beds.
Bed numbers alone do not guarantee effective care. Ebola treatment requires staff who can work safely around the clock, follow strict infection-prevention procedures and respond to patients whose condition may change quickly. Nearly 400 health workers have been trained as part of the response, and a dedicated training hub has been opened in Bunia.
“Every patient bed requires a skilled workforce to provide safe, quality care around the clock,” Dr Diaz insisted.
The emphasis on personnel reflects a central challenge in emergency medicine: expanding physical infrastructure must be matched by the people, supplies and systems needed to operate it. A treatment centre needs reliable clinical supervision, protective equipment, referral links and support services as well as beds.
Oxygen is a life-saving element of supportive care
Access to oxygen is another urgent concern, particularly for people with severe Ebola illness. Oxygen therapy can be a critical part of supportive treatment, yet it remains inconsistent or absent in many facilities, especially during emergencies.
Building a functioning oxygen system involves far more than delivering cylinders or purchasing devices. Health facilities require dependable equipment, trained personnel, systems for maintenance and transport, and infrastructure capable of ensuring that treatment reaches patients when it is needed.
“Without previous oxygen scale-up efforts in Ebola and Marburg [virus disease] responses, we would not be where we are today in terms of more positive outcomes for patients,” she concluded.
The challenge is especially important in a large country where access to care can be constrained by distance and where the needs of treatment centres may change as transmission shifts between health zones. Strengthening oxygen availability can support Ebola care while also reinforcing the capacity of facilities to manage other serious illnesses.
Vaccine research continues in Ituri
There is no approved vaccine for the Ebola Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak. Vaccine research is nevertheless moving ahead in Ituri province, where 20,000 doses of Ervebo have been assigned to a research vaccination programme.
Ervebo has previously shown effectiveness against the Ebola Zaire virus, not Bundibugyo. Its allocation for the research programme underlines the need to assess potential tools carefully while treatment, surveillance, safe referrals and community access to services remain at the heart of the response.
For families in affected areas, the most immediate message remains clear: seeking care early can make a meaningful difference. As treatment capacity grows, the effectiveness of the response will depend on whether patients can reach trained health workers quickly and receive essential support, including reliable oxygen, before their illness becomes critical.
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