DRC Ebola outbreak far from being over-WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is far from being over.

Since its inception, the epidemic has infected about 5000 people, with more than 2,300 deaths across six provinces and 55 health zones. It had a big head start, as institutions and government are still playing catch-up.

The WHO DG, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, in an emergency meeting with stakeholders, raised concerns about the rapid spread of the virus and the risk of further national and international spread remains high.

“This is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded,” he said, “and it is moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreak.”

Dr Ghebreyesus disclosed that the epidemic is being fuelled by insecurity and displacement, with intense population movement along roads, rivers and mining routes.“What concerns me most is where people are dying: at home, in their communities, outside treatment centres, and outside known contact lists,” he said.

The WHO DG also warned that the risk of the virus spreading does not stop at the DRC’s borders. He noted that Uganda had stopped transmission after the initial spillover, but a traveller carried the virus to France last month.

According to Dr Ghebreyesus, the DRC Government, WHO, Africa CDC and partners are scaling up response by strengthening community-based surveillance, expanding treatment capacity, supporting safe and dignified burials and working with communities to build trust and ownership.

He also disclosed that efforts were being made to advance clinical trials for vaccines and therapeutics, noting that two vaccines designed against Bundibugyo virus had entered human trials, while another vaccine had shown cross-protection in animal studies.

Ghebreyesus also stressed that Ebola is only one of several threats the people in the DRC face, with maternal mortality, diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia, malaria and cholera being major challenges. While fighting the virus, he stressed that the response must not disrupt access to other essential health services.