The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) is spreading faster than health authorities can contain it and is on track to become the deadliest on record, according to the World Health Organization.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that at its current pace, the outbreak is on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016, a crisis that killed more than 11,000 people and accelerated the push to develop a vaccine.

The outbreak in eastern DR Congo has killed more than 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 recorded cases, making it the fastest-moving Ebola outbreak on record. It was formally declared on May 15, though genetic sequencing later revealed the virus had actually begun circulating in February.

The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no vaccine or treatment has yet been approved.

Containment efforts have been hampered by the region’s remoteness and ongoing conflict near Congo’s borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. 

Many infections and deaths are occurring in communities that health teams have struggled to reach. Weak infrastructure, under-resourced clinics, circulating misinformation, and strikes by health workers over unpaid wages have further slowed the response.

Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO’s director for health emergency alert and response operations, said the agency’s moderate projection has the outbreak peaking within six months. Under a more severe scenario, he said, it could stretch on for nine to 12 months.

The 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa remains the deadliest on record, having claimed more than 11,000 lives out of roughly 28,000 cases and prompting a major international push towards vaccine development. WHO officials say the current crisis could surpass that toll if access to affected communities does not improve soon. (Al Jazeera)

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The global risk “remains low” from a deadly Ebola outbreak centred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organisation chief said Wednesday (Jun 24), after a case was confirmed in France.

France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory: a doctor who had flown back from the DR Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak. 

The case is the first of the deadly haemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current outbreak, which has also affected Uganda.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against “over-reaction” to the case – the first ever detected in France.

There is “no need for panic”, he said, insisting that “the risk to the rest of the world is low”.

He underlined though that the case served as “a reminder of the risks faced by frontline responders”.

“Almost 80 health workers have been infected, highlighting the risks they face and the importance of strengthening infection prevention and control,” he pointed out. 

The case confirmed Wednesday involved a doctor who had been working with the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), the NGO said.

The patient “boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa and was almost asymptomatic – except for headaches”, the French health ministry said.

The patient’s condition “slightly deteriorated during the flight”, after which they were immediately isolated and taken into care upon landing in Paris, even before the disease was officially identified, the ministry added.

The patient was in a “stable condition” and their viral load was “very low”, the ministry added.

Efforts were under way to identify potential contacts.

The WHO was advising countries “to support the safe deployment of personnel responding to this outbreak”, Tedros said.

“This includes ensuring that organisations deploying staff provide clear information on risks, how to reduce and manage the risks of exposure, and that countries are prepared to facilitate evacuation if needed.” 

The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several unexplained deaths in the mineral-rich but volatile eastern Ituri province plagued by armed groups.

According to the latest official figures, more than 1,000 cases have been recorded, including 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of around 25 percent.

WHO assesses the public health risk level as “very high” for the DRC, “high” for Uganda and other countries bordering DRC, and “low” for the rest of the world.

Tedros called for putting the case in France in “perspective”, urging against “over-reaction”.

He pointed out that while thousands of Ebola cases have been detected in Africa over the past half century, “in the past 50 years, the number of cases that were detected outside Africa are less than 30”. (CNA)

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A doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the country’s first case of the virus during the current outbreak, France’s health ministry said on Wednesday.

The health ministry “confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory”, it said. 

Contacted by AFP, the ministry specified that the case was identified in mainland France.

The patient is being isolated and authorities are contact tracing, the ministry said, adding that the risk for the general European population was low.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak, which has infected more than 1,000 people and killed 267, has had the largest number of confirmed cases within the first month of any episode of the disease, the World Health Organisation has said. (France 24)

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World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, during a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday, said the Ebola virus in central Africa has had a “big head-start” and warned that health authorities were still behind.

Tedros: ‘We need to move faster’

Tedros had just returned from visiting Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak. Tedros said authorities are “catching up” and said he was “very encouraged by the level of commitment I saw everywhere I went” in Ituri Province.

At the same time, Tedros said the virus is still ahead, and “we need to move faster.”

he virus is also present in the North and South Kivu Provinces in DR Congo and in neighboring Uganda.

The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. This variety of Ebola has no medication or vaccine.

In DR Congo, 344 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in mid-May with 60 deaths.

The number of suspected cases in DR Congo stands at 166, a decline from 906.

Health authorities are working to develop a cure for the Bundibugyo strain and are rushing to improve testing capacity along with isolating contacts of affected individuals in affected regions.

Kenyan health minister defends US quarantine center project

Meanwhile, the Ebola crisis has caused political controversy on other parts of the continent.

The US government has decided to build a quarantine facility at a base in Kenya, angering Kenyans who believe their country is being exploited by a foreign power. The facility would be used to isolate Americans who had visited DR Congo.

The facility has been met with protests by Kenyans and a court order has even blocked the project.

Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale, however, said on Wednesday that the isolation center would proceed.

“Quarantine is not only for Americans,” Duale told Kenyan Parliament. “Even Kenyans will be isolated at the facility.”

“Laikipia airbase is one of the 23 quarantine isolation centers we are building. And we will not stop it,” he continued.

The US Embassy in Nairobi has said it was “working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections” due to the court order.

Reuters reported, citing flight data and officials, that at least 20 flights have landed at the base where the US quarantine facility is being built. Medical specialists, physicians, engineers, lab experts and construction workers landed at the base, but no patients have arrived there. (DW)

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Sri Lanka’s health authorities have turned their attention to the Ebola virus spreading globally and the meningitis cases reported locally, Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa said today (01).

Speaking to the media, the Minister noted that measures are already underway to control meningitis in the country, and that immediate steps were taken from the first day cases were reported.

“Health authorities are working to control the meningitis disease spreading in the country and expect public cooperation. That is why in recent days at Dansal we advised providing hot drinks like tea, as meningitis could spread in such settings. To some extent, health authorities have managed to control it,” he said, while cautioning against complacency.

He stressed that the disease had particularly affected children and urged continued vigilance.

The Health Minister further said that the Epidemiology Unit has paid special attention to the Ebola virus. 

“It was in several African countries that this first began. Afterwards, the WHO reported this as an emergency situation. From then onwards, the Epidemiology Unit has continuously paid attention to this and provided necessary instructions to our health system,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Consultant Epidemiologist at the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, Thushari Dabarera, said Sri Lanka was prepared to address the Ebola virus.

Addressing the media today (01), she explained that the virus spreads both to humans and primates such as monkeys, most commonly through blood or bodily fluids.

“Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry has already conducted a rehearsal on preparedness for an Ebola virus outbreak, based on guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. Instructions have been issued to relevant institutions, especially airports and ports, to quarantine those arriving from African nations such as Congo and Uganda, which are known to be affected,” she said.

Dabarera further noted that the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH) is prepared to treat passengers detected with the Ebola virus. 

Pointing out that the current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, she warned: “It is serious, as it carries a 50% fatality rate.” (Newswire)

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The World Health Organization on Saturday, May 17, declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and said there was a high risk it could spread to neighbouring countries.

The decision has prompted governments to step up travel-related containment ​measures. Here is a list of screening steps and travel restrictions announced by different countries.

UNITED STATES

Last week, Washington banned non-citizens who had ‌travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in recent weeks from entering the United States. On Friday, the ban was extended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to green card holders who have been in those countries in the previous 21 days.

The CDC on Saturday added Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to its travel funnelling list, alongside Washington Dulles. U.S. passport holders returning ​from affected regions are escorted to designated screening areas for temperature checks, travel history verification, and symptom tracking by the CDC.

UGANDA

Uganda’s government said ​on Wednesday it closed its border with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, with immediate effect and for four weeks.

Ebola response teams, humanitarian ⁠and security operations, and food and cargo transport are exempt from the closing, senior health official Diana Atwine said in a press conference. Any person authorized ​to enter Uganda from Congo would be required to undergo mandatory self-isolation for 21 days, she added.

CANADA

The Canadian government said on Tuesday that residents from the DRC, Uganda ​and South Sudan will be banned from entering Canada for 90 days starting Wednesday.

Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from May 30, according to a statement from Canada’s public health agency.

THE BAHAMAS

The Bahamian government said on Tuesday a ban on ​residents from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan will take immediate effect and remain in place for 30 days.

The Bahamas also announced enhanced health screenings and ​possible quarantines for foreigners who were present in those countries within 30 days of arriving in the Caribbean country.

INDIA

India has launched screening and surveillance measures at airports and other entry points, ‌issued advisories ⁠on precautions, and urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.

JORDAN

The Jordanian government on May 19 suspended the entry of travellers arriving from the DRC and Uganda, according to the Jordanian state agency.

BAHRAIN

Bahrain said on May 19 it was suspending for 30 days the entry of foreign travellers arriving from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

The Cayman Islands government said on May 20 it would implement enhanced screening measures as a precaution after ​a flight landed carrying two passengers with ​recent travel history to the DRC.

THAILAND

Thailand’s ⁠Public Health Ministry said on Tuesday that passengers arriving from the DRC and Uganda will only be allowed to enter the country through Suvarnabhumi Airport, where they will undergo screening.

Travellers from or through those countries will be required to quarantine ​for at least 21 days if they do not have symptoms, and will be referred to isolation for at ​least 21 days if ⁠they have symptoms compatible with Ebola virus disease.

KENYA

The Kenyan Ministry of Health said on Monday it has enhanced screening of travellers at high-risk points of entry, coordinated through the Kenya National Public Health Institute (KNPHI) under the fully activated National Incident Management System. Isolation and holding facilities have been activated in designated border locations to support potential containment ⁠efforts, the ​ministry added.

EUROPEAN UNION 

The European Union’s Health Security Committee said on Friday entry screenings were not necessary ​for passengers arriving from the DRC and Uganda, citing low risk to the population.

MEXICO

Mexico’s Health Secretary David Kershenovich addressed the media on Monday, outlining tighter Ebola screening measures at airports, urging the public to ​avoid travel to Congo and asking arrivals from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine. (Reuters)

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A Ugandan woman has tested negative for Ebola infection, ​India’s health ministry said on Wednesday, after she was quarantined ‌in the tech hub of Bengaluru on suspicion of having the virus, but it did not say if she would be released from isolation.

The ​news comes a day after a meeting held by Health ​Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda to review preparations to tackle ⁠the disease, which the World Health Organisation has declared a public ​health emergency of international concern.

“The test result has returned negative for ​Ebola virus disease,” the health ministry said in a statement on the Bengaluru case, which, if confirmed, would have been the South Asian nation’s first since ​2014.

The 28-year-old visitor from Uganda did not show symptoms and ​was quarantined as a precaution, said Dr Anil Kumar Banagar, medical superintendent at ‌the ⁠hospital where she was isolated, though the ministry said she suffered mild body ache.

She arrived in the southern city from the western industrial city of Ahmedabad on her journey from Uganda.

India has ​launched screening and surveillance ​measures at ⁠airports and other entry points, issued advisories on precautions, and urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel to ​Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. (Reuters)

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