HealthDRC’s largest Ebola outbreak on record hampered by conflict and armed groups

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing its largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded. Its unprecedented nature is linked not only to the scale, but also to the fact that it went undetected for months before being correctly identified. Heather Kerr, the International Rescue Committee’s country director for Congo, says delayed diagnosis and the difficulty of distinguishing the Bundibugyo strain from common illnesses have hindered the response. The operational environment, active conflict and armed groups have compounded those obstacles.