The African Union's health agency says that currently tens of thousands of contacts of those ill with the disease had not been traced.
The head of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the Ebola outbreak in Congo could be the worst ever, saying that currently tens of thousands of contacts of those ill with the disease had not been traced.
"If we don't stop the outbreak very soon it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC," Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya on Tuesday told a virtual meeting of African heads of state in Burundi.
He was referring to the outbreak that affected Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014-2016 that killed over 11,000 people and a less deadly 2018 outbreak in Congo.
The World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, which has caused 635 confirmed infections, including 127 deaths, since it was announced on May 15.
The Africa CDC says each confirmed case should lead to the identification of at least 40 contacts.
‘Huge risk’
The DRC has traced fewer than 5,000 contacts linked to its cases, while the number should be nearer 24,000, Kaseya said, adding: "If we don't follow up, it means there is a huge risk of transmission."
The outbreak's epicentre is in the DRC's eastern province of Ituri, where poor roads and insecurity fuelled by armed groups severely hamper access.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which is behind the current outbreak.
Kaseya has urged a ceasefire in eastern DRC to prevent further spread, noting: "This outbreak doesn't know who is rebel, who's not rebel."
Ebola is transmitted through close contact and bodily fluids, and has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.
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