The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been labeled a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), as the number of infections has surpassed 5,000.
After an emergency meeting, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged the international community to help in efforts to manage the outbreak, which has resulted in over 2,320 deaths.
“Let’s be honest: the epidemic is far from controlled,” Tedros stated during the meeting. He emphasized that the situation had gained significant momentum, leaving responders in a catch-up position.
This outbreak marks the seventeenth occurrence of Ebola in the DRC and has now become the deadliest to date, surpassing the fatalities from the 2018 to 2020 outbreak, which recorded 2,299 deaths.
Several factors have heightened concerns about the current emergency, notably the absence of an approved vaccine or treatment for this particular strain of Ebola, known as Bundibugyo.
Efforts to respond to the outbreak have been further complicated by ongoing conflicts in the resource-rich DRC, along with issues like misinformation, a general distrust of health care workers, and cultural practices.
Tedros cautioned that the outbreak is spreading with “unprecedented speed,” and the locations of many fatalities indicate that there are transmission chains still to identify.
The epidemic will persist until all chains of transmission are located and eliminated, he warned.
Thierno Balde, a WHO medic, mentioned that motorbike riders have become a crucial focus in the response strategy because of their role in transporting patients and deceased individuals.
“We have set up hand-washing stations and provided disinfectants, but the new goal is to engage them as surveillance and response officers,” Dr. Balde noted, highlighting a significant push to enhance community involvement in fighting the disease.
The outbreak was officially declared on May 17, but genetic analysis suggests it began spreading in February, three months earlier.
An initial volunteer received an experimental vaccine for this strain in the United Kingdom last month. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of doses manufactured in India by Oxford University scientists are ready for immediate deployment if clinical trials prove successful.
