The World Health Organization has stepped up emergency operations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after the country recorded 136 deaths and about 543 suspected Ebola cases, according to Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba. Medical supplies and international experts are arriving in Bunia as authorities battle the fast-spreading Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.
The WHO delivered 12 tonnes of emergency medical supplies to Bunia in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan.The shipment included personal protective equipment, infection prevention kits, tents and medical materials for frontline health workers.
More than 40 medical experts also arrived in Bunia on 19 May to reinforce the response.Footage released by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, showed additional emergency supplies being unloaded as aid agencies intensified efforts to contain the virus.
WHO warns outbreak could last monthsWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic”, warning that the outbreak could become prolonged.
The UN health agency has already declared the outbreak an international public health emergency.The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant previously detected in Uganda in 2007 and in DR Congo in 2012.Health officials say the mortality rate for the strain ranges between 30 and 50 percent.
WHO representative Anne Ancia said a vaccine candidate called Ervebo was being considered, but it could take at least two months before becoming available.
Conflict zones complicate responseHealth authorities say the response has been slowed by insecurity and poor access in conflict-hit areas of eastern Congo.In Rwampara hospital in Ituri province, medical workers reported severe shortages of protective equipment and isolation facilities.
The outbreak has already spread beyond Ituri into neighbouring provinces, including North Kivu, where suspected cases have been reported in Butembo and a confirmed case recorded in Goma, a city currently under the control of M23 fighters.
Congolese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege has called on the Rwanda-backed group to reopen Goma airport to facilitate humanitarian operations.
International concern growsUganda has confirmed two Ebola cases linked to Congolese nationals who crossed the border. Germany is also preparing to treat an American doctor infected while working in the region.
The United States has announced airport screening measures for travellers arriving from affected areas and temporarily suspended visa services.Washington has also advised citizens to avoid travel to DR Congo, South Sudan and Uganda, while urging caution for travel to Rwanda.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had released 13 million dollars in aid and hoped to open around 50 Ebola treatment clinics in DR Congo.
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