The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been forced to take radical action after a new outbreak of Ebola led to the deaths of 15 people. The outbreak in Kasai Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, has so far seen 28 confirmed cases, with those killed including four health workers.
Speaking at a press conference today, WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, thanked authorities for their quick action as he laid out a series of measures being taken to stem the outbreak of the disease. Dr Ghebreyesus confirmed that the organisation had deployed a national Rapid Response Team and sent $500,000 (£370,000) from a contingency fund to prevent the spread and treat those affected. The national Rapid Response Team includes experts in epidemiology, infection prevention and control, laboratory and case management.
Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, added: “We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities. Banking on the country’s long-standing expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks, we’re working closely with the health authorities to quickly scale up key response measures to end the outbreak as soon as possible.”
The team have been tasked with rapidly strengthening disease surveillance, delivering treatment and infection prevention and providing control in health facilities.
Provincial risk communication experts have also been deployed to reach communities and help them understand how to protect themselves.
The country has a stockpile of treatments, as well as 2000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, effective to protect against this type of Ebola, already prepositioned in Kinshasa that will be quickly moved to Kasai to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s last outbreak of Ebola virus disease affected the north-western Equateur province in April 2022.
It was brought under control in under three months thanks to the robust efforts of the health authorities.
Ebola virus disease is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans. It is transmitted to people through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats (thought to be the natural hosts).
Human-to-human transmission is through direct contact with blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, objects that have been contaminated with body fluids from a person sick with Ebola or the body of a person who died from Ebola.
Ebola, a rare and severe infection typically found in certain African regions, can be contracted through contact with the body fluids of an infected person or wild animal, warns the NHS. Symptoms, which can manifest anywhere from two to 21 days post-infection, often mimic those of the flu, including high temperature, extreme fatigue and headaches.
The virus can also cause a range of other distressing symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, skin rashes and jaundice.
Those infected may also experience bloody stools, widespread bruising, and bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, or mouth.