There have been at least 1,077 suspected cases of Ebola in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15, including 246 deaths, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. There have been nine confirmed infections in Uganda, including one death. The true reach of the outbreak in DR Congo, which is thought to have been circulating before it was detected, is likely to be much wider, the WHO has warned. The vast impoverished central African country – whose mineral-rich
east has been plagued by three decades of conflict – has limited capacity to conduct laboratory tests to confirm cases. Conflict and Ebola Uganda closed its border with DR Congo this week and ordered a 21-day quarantine for anyone arriving from that country. On Friday, the WHO announced that a patient had recovered on Wednesday, left hospital and was discharged into the community after two negative tests. WHO’s Anaïs Legand said it marked a “first” among patients who had been confirmed Ebola carriers in the
current outbreak. Ebola, which spreads through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest outbreak in DR Congo claimed nearly 2,300 lives out of 3,500 cases between 2018 and 2020. The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said of the latest outbreak that “never has an Ebola epidemic recorded so many cases in the first days after it being declared”. It said there were not enough medical experts deployed in the afflicted
region. Read moreDR Congo facing ‘catastrophic collision’ of Ebola and war, WHO chief warns State services are largely lacking in Ituri province, where access is hindered by insecurity due to the presence of armed groups and militias. “There is experience in this country and under the government’s leadership, and especially with community ownership, we can stop it,” said Tedros. “These are the ingredients which are important, of course, with the support from the international community as well. So the issue is in our hands. “If
we do our best, it can be stopped.” Vaccine search No vaccine or specific treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind the current outbreak. But the head of the CDC Africa said on Thursday that a vaccine should be ready by the end of the year. On Saturday, the WHO said its experts had considered several potential vaccines that were “promising enough” to warrant evaluation in clinical trials. “In the meantime, our priority is to stop transmission with tools that we
have used for decades of Ebola responses, which include disease surveillance, rapid testing and diagnosis, contact tracing, isolation and care for patients, infection prevention and control, community engagement, and safe and dignified burials,” it added in a statement.
WHO, Ebola, DR Congo, Ituri, Tedros, Uganda border closure, quarantine, Bundibugyo strain, CDC Africa, Doctors Without Borders, MSF