World Bank, Vincent Tremeau / Flickr cc
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda shows no sign of containment, as suspected cases have reached almost 1,000 and Uganda announced it was closing its border with the DRC.
According to the most recent information compiled by Reliefweb, the DRC has reported 977 suspected cases and 228 suspected deaths, suggesting a case-fatality rate (CFR) of 14.3%. Uganda now has seven confirmed cases, including two healthcare workers, and one death, which also has resulted in a CFR of 14.3%.
Today World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said the conditions in the DRC are making it nearly impossible for contact tracing and containment, the only tools health workers have to limit disease caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. There are no vaccines or therapeutics that target infections caused by that strain, which is rare and has only caused four outbreaks since it was discovered in 2007.
There is also ongoing violence in Ituri and North Kivu province, with at least four Ebola treatment centers attacked in recent days.
Health facilities are either non-functional or operating under severe constraints due to insecurity
“In many affected areas, health facilities are either non-functional or operating under severe constraints due to insecurity,” Tedros said. “Poor road conditions further restrict the movement of goods and humanitarian assistance.”
Americans who were traveling in areas where Ebola is transmitting will now be sent to Kenya for observation and quarantine by specially trained Public Health Service officers and officers from the Department of Defense, according to reports today.
In previous Ebola outbreaks, Americans have been flown back to the United States for quarantine and surveillance.
During a cabinet meeting today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told President Trump, “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”
Yesterday Bush Intercontinental Airport became the third US airport to conduct Ebola health screenings, joining Dulles and Hartsfield-Jackson. Passengers are being screened for fever and asked about their recent travels during the enhanced screenings.
Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, has also asked CDC staff to volunteer for urgent deployment to support Ebola screening at US entry points, according to media reports.
Three of the 10 patients described in the report died, and 2 of the other 7 remain hospitalized after infection with the Andes strain of the virus.
Six other Americans are in the process of being evacuated.
All travel restrictions are in place for 30 days.
Quarantines and travel bans won’t limit the spread of the virus, which spreads through bodily fluids.
The WHO estimates the case-fatality rate of Bundibugyo at around 40%.
There are at least 500 suspected cases, including 130 deaths, so far in the outbreak.
The global risk, however, remains low, the WHO says.
The current DR Congo outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which was not the causative lineage in the studies included in the analysis.
The case count from the Dutch cruise outbreak remains at 11 cases, including three fatalities.
Rates rose roughly 80% above baseline during the pandemic and disproportionately affected Black patients.
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