Canadians on the ground document fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history

Canadian aid workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are witnessing the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, with more than 2,100 deaths out of over 4,500 infected since the outbreak was declared in the spring.

Meghan Thumath, a registered nurse and public health delegate with the Canadian Red Cross, describes the human toll starkly. "Each of those numbers is someone's brother, sister, sibling, family member," she said, her eyes welling with tears as she recounted seeing coffin sellers lining the streets of Bunia in the same way fruit vendors do.

The World Health Organization said this is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, on track to surpass the deadliest one, which killed over 11,000 people more than a decade ago. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare species of Ebola with no specific vaccine or treatment, though clinical studies are underway.

Montraler Mylene Ratelle, a health promotion manager with Doctors Without Borders, arrived weeks after the outbreak was officially declared in May, though the health agency later revealed it actually started months earlier in February — some early cases were misdiagnosed as malaria and typhoid. She describes a landscape where traditional disease markers barely show on the streets: Ebola spreads through bodily fluids like vomit, blood, or semen, not respiratory droplets, so fewer visible signs alert the public.

Outside hospitals, where about 20 tents serve as treatment centres, "the sound is awful," Ratelle said, describing families screaming their grief all day long. She recounts several occasions when people threw rocks at her team after a loved one tested positive — a manifestation of their disbelief and pain.

Canadian aid workers say they are seeing positive improvements at the community level, with growing awareness and receptiveness to seeking treatment and safe burials. But cases keep climbing. The outbreak also faces attacks on health workers, threats by rebel groups, communities traumatized by previous outbreaks, and misinformation claiming Ebola is not real — layered on top of fundamental access issues to health care, water, nutrition, and hygiene.