taken on March 09, 2019 Health workers are seen inside the ‘red
zone’ of an Ebola treatment centre, which was attacked in the early
hours of the morning in Butembo. Photo by JOHN WESSELS /
AFP
One hundred cases of Ebola have been recorded in DR
Congo’s northwest in less than three months, the World Health
Organization (WHO) said Thursday as it warned the response to the
epidemic is underfunded.
The outbreak was reported in Equateur province on June 1, just
as the country was preparing to declare an end to a separate Ebola
epidemic in the east that claimed over 2,000 lives.
The latest outbreak — the vast central African country’s 11th
since Ebola was identified in 1976 — has since spread to 11 of the
province’s 17 health zones, and 43 people have died, according to
WHO.
The number of cases has doubled over the past five weeks, it
said.
“With 100 Ebola cases in less than 100 days, the outbreak in
Equateur Province is evolving in a concerning way,” said Matshidiso
Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa.
Affected communities are spread across 300 kilometres (185
miles) in remote and densely forested areas, presenting logistical
challenges, Moeti said.
“Without extra support the teams on the ground will find it
harder to get ahead of the virus,” Moeti said.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus voiced concern
about delays between the onset of symptoms and an alert for a
suspected case of Ebola, which he said was five days.
“This is concerning, because the longer a patient goes without
treatment, the lower their chances of survival, and the longer the
virus can spread unseen in communities,” he said at a press
conference in Geneva.
“The situation has been further complicated by a strike by
health workers, which is affecting activities including vaccination
and safe burials,” he said.
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In early August, Ebola health workers went on strike to demand
payment of their salaries.
“DRC has the best-trained workforce in the world for Ebola. This
situation needs to be resolved as quickly as possible,” he
said.
‘Ignore at our peril’
According to WHO, DR Congo’s health ministry has presented a
plan to donors and partners requiring $40 million (34 million
euros) in the fight against Ebola, and has committed $4
million.
WHO said it has already mobilised a total of $2.3 million to
combat the epidemic.
“COVID-19 is not the only emergency needing robust support. As
we know from our recent history we ignore Ebola at our peril,”
Moeti warned.
On June 25, DR Congo officially declared an end to an Ebola
epidemic that broke out in the east nearly two years earlier, which
Health Minister Eteni Longondo described as “the longest, most
complex and deadliest” in the country’s history.
The two epidemics have no common viral strain, according to
WHO.
The virus is passed on by contact with the blood, body
fluids, secretions or organs of an infected or recently deceased
person.
The death rate is typically high, ranging up to 90 percent in
some outbreaks, according to the WHO.
In May 2018, another Ebola epidemic in Equateur province was
contained in less than three months, with 54 cases and 33 deaths
recorded.
DR Congo has also faced a major measles outbreak and recurring
flare-ups of cholera and malaria.
The country has recorded 9,802 cases of coronavirus and 248
deaths since the first cases were reported on March 10, according
to the latest official figures.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/22/dr-congo-records-100-cases-of-ebola-in-new-outbreak/