An Ebola outbreak has struck the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),\nclaiming at least 88 lives. In response to the crisis, the World Health\nOrganization (WHO) officially declared a public health emergency of\ninternational concern on Sunday (May 17).<\/p>\n
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa)\nreported that the total death toll is accompanied by 336 suspected cases\nof this highly contagious hemorrhagic fever. The WHO stated that the\noutbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus,\nconstitutes a \u201cpublic health emergency of international concern,\u201d the\nsecond-highest level of alert under global health regulations.<\/p>\n
This situation raises significant concerns as there are currently no\ncountermeasures for this particular variant. \u201cThe Bundibugyo variant has\nno vaccine, and there is no specific treatment,\u201d said DRC Health\nMinister Samuel-Roger Kamba. \u201cThis variant has a very high mortality\nrate, which can reach 50%.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently available vaccines are only effective against the Zaire\nvariant. Health authorities confirmed that this latest outbreak was\ndetected in the Ituri province, a northeastern region of the DRC\nbordering Uganda and South Sudan. The virus has even been reported to\nhave killed a Congolese citizen in neighboring Uganda.<\/p>\n
According to Minister Kamba, the index case in this outbreak was a\nnurse who reported to a health facility in the capital of Ituri\nprovince, Bunia, on April 24 with symptoms similar to Ebola, such as\nfever, bleeding, and vomiting.<\/p>\n
The medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced\nthat it is preparing a large-scale response to contain the rapid spread\nof this virus. Poor communication infrastructure and logistical\nchallenges in transporting medical equipment in the DRC pose significant\nobstacles for rescue teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short period,\ncombined with the spread across multiple health zones and now across\nborders, is very worrying,\u201d said Trish Newport, MSF Emergency Program\nManager.<\/p>\n
The situation on the ground is also reportedly worsening due to\nlimited medical isolation facilities. \u201cWe have seen people dying over\nthe past two weeks,\u201d said Isaac Nyakulinda, a local civil society\nrepresentative. \u201cThere are no places to isolate sick people. They die at\nhome, and their bodies are handled by their family members.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The WHO warned of a high\nrisk of regional spread as the exact number of infected people and the\ngeographical scope remain unclear. Believed to originate from bats, the\nEbola virus spreads between humans through bodily fluids or exposure to\nthe blood of an infected person after they show symptoms.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/who-declares-ebola-outbreak-in-congo-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern-after-88-deaths-1780655660", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }