DR Congo needs 1,600 more Ebola treatment beds as outbreak spreads: WHO

The Democratic Republic of the Congo needs another 1,600 Ebola treatment beds as the outbreak spreads and demand for care grows rapidly, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said Tuesday.

Luca Fontana, technical officer with the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, told reporters in Geneva that nearly 1,400 beds have already been established across 59 facilities, up from more than 900 within the first two months of the response.

“This is one of the fastest Ebola treatment scale-ups I have ever witnessed, including during the West Africa Ebola response,” Fontana said.

Another 1,600 beds are estimated to be required, bringing total capacity needs to around 3,000, he said.

Fontana said patients were arriving at treatment centers from villages far beyond Bunia, indicating that the outbreak was spreading and that a more decentralized response was needed to bring treatment closer to communities.

Expanding capacity will also require significantly more personnel. WHO estimates three health workers are needed for every patient, meaning 9,000 workers must be trained to cover the projected 3,000 beds.

WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, for his part, said the agency needs $115 million under a six-month joint WHO-Africa CDC response plan and has received or been offered $112.4 million, leaving a $2.6 million gap.

He warned, however, that funding needs are expected to increase as the outbreak evolves.

The Congolese government's broader six-month plan covering all partners requires $1.3 billion, with WHO urging donors to increase and accelerate contributions.

As of Monday, 6,686 confirmed Ebola cases and 3,226 deaths have been reported, according to the WHO.