International efforts are underway to contain the Ebola outbreak that has infected hundreds and killed dozens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with the United States considering relocating a “small number” of affected nationals.
The World Health Organization on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” Although the latest outbreak does not yet meet the criteria for a “pandemic emergency,” high positivity rates and rising numbers of infections and deaths across health regions indicate “the potential for a much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported,” the WHO warned.
The United Nations health agency said at least 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases had been reported in DRC’s remote north-eastern Ituri province as of Saturday. In neighboring Uganda, WHO reported that two laboratory-confirmed cases (including one death) have so far been reported in the capital Kampala.
The WHO says the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, one of several viruses that can cause Ebola. The WHO called the outbreak an “extraordinary situation” as there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine specific to the Bundibugyo virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Sunday that it is assisting interagency partners in efforts to relocate “a small number of Americans directly affected” by the outbreak. This comes after health news outlet STAT reported on Sunday that several Americans in the Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to have been exposed to the virus, including some who are considered high risk.
CNN was unable to independently verify the report and has reached out to the CDC and the U.S. State Department for comment.
Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response incident manager, declined on Sunday to say whether any Americans were among the infected. He told a news conference that the CDC is “actively evaluating the situation on the ground and does not intend to comment on the disposition of any individuals.”
The CDC said it was already dedicating resources from the agency’s offices around the country to support efforts such as surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory testing, and would mobilize additional support from the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta.
Pillai said the CDC is not aware of any infections on international flights, noting that both countries have exit screening measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus through travel.
International coordination is being stepped up to prevent the spread of the disease as experts warn of a “very worrying” situation.
About seven tons of emergency medical supplies, including protective equipment, tents and beds, arrived in Bunia, the capital of Ituri region, on Sunday to “support the scale-up of front-line response operations,” the WHO said.
Non-governmental organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are also preparing to launch a large-scale response as soon as possible.
Complicating the response is that this outbreak is occurring on top of a humanitarian crisis. Conflict in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has displaced millions of people and weakened the health system.
In Uganda, there is no known link between the two confirmed cases in Kampala, which is “often a warning sign that the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is larger than health authorities currently realize,” Adrian Esterman, professor and chair of biostatistics at the University of Adelaide, said in a statement.
The suspected deaths include four health workers, the WHO said.
Dr Matt Mason, senior lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s School of Health, said this “raises serious concerns about gaps in infection prevention and control and the potential for spread of infection within health facilities that connect to the wider community”.
According to the WHO, this is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the virus was first identified in 1976.
According to MSF, the mortality rate for the Bundibugyo strain is estimated to be 25-40%.
Symptoms of Ebola include fever, muscle pain, and rash. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, such as handling contaminated materials or people who have died from the disease.
