Thomas Mukhwana,Africa Correspondent, NairobiAnd
Yang Tian
Reuters
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern.
The agency said the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province, which has recorded about 246 suspected cases and 80 reported deaths, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency.
But he warned it could potentially be a “much larger outbreak” than is currently detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.
The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the health agency said, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash and bleeding.
The WHO said There are now eight laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus, as well as other suspected cases and deaths in three health zones, including Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the gold mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
A case of the virus has been confirmed in the capital Kinshasa, believed to be a patient returning from Ituri.
The global health agency added that the virus has spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighboring Uganda. Ugandan authorities said a 59-year-old man who died Thursday had tested positive.
Reuters
In a statement, the Ugandan government said the deceased patient was a Congolese citizen whose body had already been repatriated to DR Congo.
The WHO said the current security situation and humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, combined with the high mobility of the population, the urban location of the hotspot and the large number of informal health facilities in the region, increased the risk of spread.
Countries bordering DR Congo are considered high risk due to trade and travel.
WHO has advised the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to establish emergency operations centers to monitor, trace and implement infection prevention measures.
To minimize the spread, the health agency said confirmed cases should be immediately isolated and treated until two Bundibugyo virus-specific tests, taken at least 48 hours apart, are negative.
For countries bordering regions with confirmed cases, governments should strengthen health surveillance and reporting.
The WHO added that countries outside the affected region should not close their borders or restrict travel and trade, because “such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no scientific basis.”
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that there are currently “significant uncertainties about the actual number of people infected and the geographic spread” of the outbreak.
The Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo and is believed to have spread by bats. This is the 17th outbreak of the deadly viral disease in the country.
It is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids and through skin damage, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.
There is no proven cure for Ebola, with the average mortality rate being around 50%, according to the WHO.
The Africa CDC had previously expressed concern about the high risk of spreading the virus due to the urban context of Rwampara and Bunia and mining activities in Mongwalu.
The health agency’s executive director, Dr Jean Kaseya, added that “significant population movements” between affected areas and neighboring countries also meant regional coordination was essential.
Around 15,000 people have died from the virus in African countries over the past 50 years.
The deadliest outbreak in the DRC occurred between 2018 and 2020, during which nearly 2,300 people died.
Last year, 45 people died following an outbreak in a remote area.
