A New York-based aid organization said the deadly Ebola outbreak spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo is “likely far worse” than the scenario described by the official figures. So far, 282 cases and 42 deaths have been confirmed, out of more than 1,000 suspected cases and more than 200 suspected deaths, according to the DRC’s health ministry. But response efforts are struggling due to detection delays and dangerously low levels of contact tracing, according to the International Rescue Committee. Only about 20 percent of contacts are currently being traced, and the virus may have been spreading undetected since March or even earlier, according to the IRC. At least nine cases and one death have been confirmed in Uganda, and more could spread to Burundi or South Sudan. “Transmission is spreading across multiple areas, and communities are losing trust in the response,” according to Rachel Howard, senior technical emergency health adviser at the IRC.
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