WHO: Scale and Spread of Ebola Alarming

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed grave concern regarding the scale and speed of the Ebola epidemic. The outbreak involves a rare strain known as Bundibugyo, for which no specific vaccine currently exists. Many reported cases have occurred in the northeastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, near the border with Uganda, including cities such as Bunia and Butembo.

The remote nature of the affected areas has made laboratory testing difficult. Furthermore, containment efforts are being hampered by attacks from anti-government militias in the eastern part of the country. In response to the threat, Rwanda has closed its border with the Congo to prevent the virus from spreading.

Last weekend, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 90 deaths linked to approximately 350 suspected Ebola cases. The WHO has officially declared a ‘public health emergency of international concern’, the second-highest level of alert issued by the health agency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on Tuesday that the scale and speed of the epidemic are deeply concerning.

With the outbreak centred in Ituri province, 30 cases have been laboratory-confirmed in the region. Uganda has also informed the WHO of two confirmed cases in the capital, Kampala, including one death involving a traveller from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO held an emergency meeting in Geneva to discuss the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and the feasibility of testing available vaccines. While the Ervebo vaccine, produced by the US pharmaceutical company Merck, is approved for the Zaire variant, it has shown some protective effects against the Bundibugyo pathogen in animal trials.

In related developments, the German Ministry of Health confirmed that US authorities requested assistance from the German federal government to treat an American citizen, Dr Peter Stafford, who contracted Ebola while working for a Christian mission in the DRC. The patient will be isolated at Charité University Hospital in Berlin. Additionally, another US doctor is being transferred from a hospital in Uganda to Prague, Czech Republic, after exposure to the virus, though they currently show no symptoms.