WHO is struggling to contain Ebola in the DRC as it confirms a third case

The World Health Organization confirmed on Friday a third case of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while health officials are struggling to vaccinate residents and contain the potential outbreak.

Earlier this week, the global health agency confirmed that a woman had died of the disease in Butembo, a town in North Kivu province and the epicenter of a previous Ebola outbreak that was reported in June. Since then, the WHO has confirmed two more cases, including another person who died, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergency program, said Friday.

The number of people who could have been exposed to the virus has risen from more than 70 months to 182 since Friday, Ryan said. He added that all but three of them had been contacted and more than half had been previously vaccinated against Ebola during previous outbreaks.

“We see some benefits of previous vaccination, but obviously we need to look at how long the vaccine protects,” he said.

He added that new shipments of vaccine had arrived in Butembo this week. Ultra-cold chain storage equipment is being set up in Butembo and staff are being trained, Ryan said.

The DRC also has other therapies, including monoclonal Ebola monoclonal treatments, in the capital Kinshasa and another city, Mbandaka, Ryan said, adding that they will be flown to North Kivu over the weekend. The DRC has enough vaccine for 16,000 people in the country, Ryan said, but it is unclear how far it has reached Butembo.

WHO is “still unclear about the original EU source” of the first Ebola case, Ryan said, adding that the DRC’s National Biomedical Research Institute is sequencing virus samples at the main laboratory in Kinshasa to determine if new cases are associated with the latest outbreak. of Butembo. Ryan said the results are expected over the weekend.

The Ebola outbreak that was declared in June lasted almost two years. It was the second largest in the world and, by the end of the year, there were 3,481 cases in total and 2,299 deaths, according to the WHO.

The WHO said efforts to respond to the outbreak in North Kivu province were particularly difficult due to ongoing violent conflicts in the area, which is occupied by more than 100 different armed groups, according to Human Rights Watch.

Ryan said the WHO is working with non-governmental organizations, the DRC government and other United Nations agencies, such as UNICEF, to respond to new Ebola cases.

Unlike the highly infectious coronavirus, which can be spread by asymptomatic people, it is believed that Ebola is spread mainly through people who are already visibly ill. The virus is spread by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of people who are sick or have died from the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ebola has an average case mortality rate of 50%, although it can vary by focus, according to the WHO.

“Obviously, two cases and now a third may not seem like many, many cases in light of what we see globally with Covid, but I was on alert waiting for Ebola to return to eastern Congo and we will do everything we are in a position to support the government in response, “Ryan said.