Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced an alarming rise in the death toll from the Ebola virus, amid strenuous international and regional efforts to contain the accelerated epidemic outbreak and prevent its spread.

According to the latest official data released by Reuters, laboratory-confirmed cases have reached 1,274 infections, of which the virus has claimed 360 lives, putting the local health system in front of a complex battle to control the hotspots of the disease in the affected areas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed grave concern over the developments in the epidemiological situation in the Congo, stressing that the highly contagious nature of the virus and the accompanying high mortality rates require an immediate field response based on strengthening early detection and contact tracing mechanisms, especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

Containment of the epidemic at its origin remains the top priority for global health security, which explains the proactive international action to prevent the local crisis from becoming a cross-border threat.

Challenges on the ground and increasing pressures on the health sector

Congolese health authorities indicated that the recorded figures include cases detected until the middle of last week, while specialized medical teams continue to follow up, examine and provide treatment at the sites of the discovered infection.

The country's health sector is facing increasing and complex pressures and challenges, due to the difficult terrain and geography that sometimes impede the delivery of medical and logistical assistance to some of the most affected villages and areas.

Medical staff, in collaboration with international partners, are making strenuous efforts to expand contact tracing and implement strict isolation measures for suspected cases.

These steps are accompanied by the launch of large-scale community awareness campaigns to educate the local population about the ways of transmission of the virus, the importance of early detection, and the right medical prevention to avoid the spread of the epidemic.

Proactive U.S. action: Massive funding to strengthen defense lines

On the international response front, official sources from Washington, D.C., reported that the US administration has submitted an urgent request to Congress for additional emergency funding exceeding $1.4 billion, with the aim of supporting health emergency plans aimed at combating the Ebola outbreak on the African continent and protecting the domestic health security of the United States by preventing the virus from leaking into its territory.

According to details published by US media , the proposed budget includes an allocation of $800 million in direct and emergency humanitarian assistance. The package includes a provision to equip a state-of-the-art quarantine center in Kenya to secure potentially infected U.S. nationals, as well as funding contact tracing, preventive medical supplies, quality treatments, and frontline infection control measures.

What is the Ebola virus?

Ebola virus is a highly dangerous and deadly haemorrhagic fever that was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in the Congo. The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals (such as fruit bats and monkeys) and then spread to humans through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or secretions of an infected or deceased person.

The incubation period of the virus ranges from two to 21 days, and its symptoms are high fever, weakness, and muscle pain, before it develops into vomiting, diarrhea, and failure of kidney and liver function, and may be accompanied by internal and external bleeding leading to death in the absence of immediate medical care and early fluid support.