WHO urges community cooperation to contain DRC Ebola outbreak

The Story

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for community cooperation to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, stating it is “everybody’s business.” He made the plea on Sunday during a visit to eastern Congo, where some residents have protested against medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies, complaints that have been linked to at least three attacks on health centres. Speaking at the opening of a treatment centre in Bunia, Ituri province, he noted there is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus strain but that infected people can recover with early treatment. The WHO has recorded 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in the DRC, while neighbouring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death. Fighting between armed groups in Ituri has complicated relief efforts, prompting a ceasefire call from Tedros. Separately, Brazilian health authorities said they are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Health officials have complained of a lack of basic supplies, though the European Union has delivered medical aid and the US announced $80 million in additional assistance. The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières warned that the disease’s spread is deeply alarming and that the response has not caught up with its rapid spread.

Key Facts

• WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said containing Ebola requires community cooperation and is “everybody’s business.”
• He spoke on Sunday at a treatment centre in Bunia, Ituri province, where residents have protested body-handling protocols.
• At least three attacks on health centres have been linked to the protests over burial rites.
• No vaccine exists for the Bundibugyo virus strain; infected people can recover with early treatment.
• Five patients have recovered, and four were to be discharged on Sunday after an earlier discharge.
• WHO has recorded 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in the DRC.
• Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death.
• Fighting between armed groups in Ituri has complicated relief efforts.
• Brazilian health authorities are monitoring two patients: a 37-year-old man from DRC and a man from Uganda.
• The outbreak is the 17th recorded Ebola epidemic in the DRC; the disease was first identified there in 1976.
• Health officials lack basic supplies like masks; EU aid reached Ituri last week; the US announced $80m additional aid, raising total to $112m.
• Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya called for rapid activation of national incident systems and said international support must align with African strategies.
• MSF Deputy Director Alan Gonzalez said the response has not caught up with the epidemic’s rapid spread and that hundreds of samples remain untested.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director General)
• Jean Kaseya (Director General, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Alan Gonzalez (Deputy Director, Médecins Sans Frontières)

Sources: The Guardian