Death Toll In DRC Climbs To 131 As WHO Prepares Emergency Ebola Meeting/Image@ Aljazeera
A panel of experts, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), is convening to explore potential vaccine solutions in light of a new epidemic.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated, with Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba, reporting an estimated 131 fatalities among 513 suspected cases.
Earlier figures indicated 91 deaths from 350 suspected infections, prompting the WHO to classify the outbreak as an international health emergency.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed grave concerns about the rapid spread of the epidemic, which has begun to encroach into Uganda.
“On Sunday, I declared a public health emergency of international concern regarding the Ebola crisis affecting both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda,” Tedros announced at the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The WHO’s Emergency Committee is scheduled to meet later today to address the situation. The committee comprises international specialists who provide technical guidance and recommendations to the WHO leadership.
Currently, there is no vaccine or treatment available for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for this latest outbreak that has claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa in the last fifty years.
Minister Kamba emphasized that the current death toll is an estimate, necessitating further investigation to confirm whether all 131 suspected deaths are attributable to Ebola.
The outbreak’s epicenter is located in Ituri province, near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan, an area known for its gold mining activities that facilitate movement across regions.
The virus has already spread to neighboring provinces, reaching as far as 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the identified ground zero and beyond the DRC’s borders.
The Bundibugyo strain has a fatality rate of up to 50%, and while no approved vaccine exists, experts meeting today will evaluate possible vaccine options.
One candidate, Ervebo, produced by Merck, is used for the Zaire strain of Ebola but has shown some protective effects against Bundibugyo in animal studies.
“When faced with an outbreak caused by a strain lacking countermeasures, we will advise on the optimal strategy,” stated Dr. Mosoka Fallah, Acting Director of the Science Department at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We will assess available evidence and make informed decisions,” he added.
In related developments, a WHO representative announced that six tons of medical supplies aimed at combating Ebola are set to arrive in the DRC today, including personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
“We have dispatched 12 tons of supplies, with an additional six arriving today,” said Anne Ancia, WHO Representative in Ituri province.
Meanwhile, Germany is preparing to admit and treat a U.S. citizen who contracted Ebola while in the DRC.
The German Ministry of Health confirmed that U.S. authorities have sought assistance for treating the individual.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the American contracted the virus through work-related exposure in the DRC and tested positive late Sunday.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong