Aid group MSF opens new Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo

French aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Friday it had opened a new Ebola treatment centre in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bed shortages are seen as one of many challenges in controlling the outbreak, which is the second deadliest ever and outpacing containment efforts.

The treatment centre is in Beni, North Kivu, which has recorded 122 confirmed cases and 87 deaths since the start of the outbreak in mid-May.

North Kivu has the highest case fatality rate of any of Congo’s six affected provinces, at 68%, government data showed.

Aid workers have said that a shortage of bed capacity is one of the factors hampering the response to the outbreak, Congo’s 17th.

Dr Wessam Mankoula, Africa CDC’s head of emergency preparedness and response, said this month that up to 2,000 extra beds were required.

There is no known vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo outbreak, meaning relief workers are more reliant on traditional methods like tracing contacts and isolating patients to try to control its spread.

“Early diagnosis and treatment as soon as the first symptoms appear significantly increase people’s chances of survival, whilst reducing the risk of transmission within families and communities,” said MSF emergency coordinator Albert Stern. ​ ​ MSF has 1 400 staff in Congo supporting the response and operates treatment centres with a total of 400 beds.