Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have passed 4,000, and the figure drawing the most concern from outbreak responders is not the total. It is the share of new infections appearing in people who were never on a contact list.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, speaking during a visit to Bunia near the outbreak epicenter in Ituri province, said roughly 60% to 70% of new cases were being recorded from spread within communities rather than through contact tracing. "Contact tracing is not working," Kaseya said, adding that he did not like the trajectory and that the outbreak was already the second largest ever recorded.
