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Ebola outbreak declared in Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has declared a new Ebola virus outbreak — the ninth in the country’s history — after the confirmation of two new cases.
According to WHO, the health ministry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported positive tests in two out of five samples taken from suspected Ebola patients in Bikoro, a town on Lake Tumba in the northwestern province of Équateur.
WHO said it was working closely with the DRC government to scale up operations and mobilize health partners to respond to the outbreak, including releasing $1 million from its contingency fund for emergencies. The agency said the response is being modeled after the one used to stop an Ebola outbreak last year in a remote area of the DRC that infected eight people and killed four before it was declared over in July.
A team of experts from WHO, Doctors Without Borders and the provincial division of health is already on the ground in Bikoro, WHO said.
“Our top priority is to get to Bikoro to work alongside the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and partners to reduce the loss of life and suffering related to this new Ebola virus disease outbreak,” Peter Salama, MBBS, MPH, WHO deputy director-general for emergency preparedness and response, said in a statement. “Working with partners and responding early and in a coordinated way will be vital to containing this deadly disease.”
According to WHO, all five patients tested for Ebola had reported to a health facility in the iIkoko Iponge health zone, where there have been 21 suspected viral hemorrhagic fever cases in the past 5 weeks, including 17 deaths.
Ebola is named for Congo’s Ebola River, which lies near one of two outbreaks that led to the disease’s discovery in 1976. Unlike countries struck by the West African Ebola epidemic, the DRC has experience stopping outbreaks of the disease, which has an average case fatality of around 50%.
Last year’s outbreak was the first time a vaccine was available to help prevent the spread of Ebola. An official told Infectious Disease News that health authorities in the DRC were prepared to use the experimental vaccine to contain the outbreak if it spread beyond known contacts. – by Gerard Gallagher
Disclosures: Salama reports no relevant financial disclosures.