Red Cross: The Ebola epidemic in eastern DRC has not peaked and could last for another year.

A representative of the Red Cross stated on Tuesday that the Ebola epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not peaked and could continue for another year.

So far, over 800 cases of infection with the Bundibugyo strain, which is rare and has no approved treatment or vaccine, have been reported, of which 192 have been fatal. The disease is spreading rapidly in three provinces of the DRC, and the operations director of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Bruno Michon, emphasized the difficulty of assessing the scale of the epidemic.

The response to the health crisis is complicated by the lack of treatment centers and community resistance to hygiene measures. IFRC teams are facing abuse and threats in their efforts to build trust within the community, which is essential for saving lives.