‘A disease that you catch when you care for someone’: WHO on the Ebola frontline

Early detection and community mobilization remain critical to saving lives, as potential treatments and vaccines are still being studied, the UN health agency said on Friday.

Since May 15, UN agencies have been supporting Congo and neighboring Uganda to contain the outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus. Ebola virus, which spreads through close contact.

“This is a disease you get when you care for someone, your husband or partner, your child or your mother,” Anaïs Legand, a WHO Technical Officials told reporters in Geneva.

“You get it when you want to help someone who’s experiencing symptoms, and it’s really badhe said, explaining that family and friends should be instructed not to touch loved ones who are sick.

Chance of death 30 to 50 percent

Ms Legand highlighted the importance of prevention and early access to treatment, in the face of this extremely deadly disease. Based on previous outbreaks, the death rate “ranges between 30 and 50 percent,” he said – “very large.”

Although “five in 10 people are likely to die,” more can be done to promote recovery, according to WHO experts.

“We can improve optimal intensive care,” he said. “We can support people to recognize the symptoms early to get an early diagnosis, so they can receive the level of care they need.”

Experience shows that Ebola outbreaks can only be controlled when society is “fully involved” in the response, Legrand stressed – highlighting a recent case in Congo where a patient fully recovered and was discharged from hospital.

Detective work

WHO has convened experts to review potential treatments and vaccines against the virus, and several products have now been identified for further assessment.

For confirmed cases, three therapeutic candidates for the treatment have been prioritized for clinical trialsMrs. Legand revealed: monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimab, as well as the antiviral remdesivir.

For prevention, the oral antiviral obeldesivir is prioritized in clinical studies as a post-exposure measure for those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.

The WHO expert added that two vaccine candidates have been identified for evaluation once doses become available.

The agency is working with the governments of Congo and Uganda and at the same time “immediately increasing health service capacity.”

Access problems

“This outbreak occurred in a very complex context,” he stressed, keeping that in mind in Ituri province alone, 1.2 million people require humanitarian assistance, while ongoing conflict and food insecurity hamper disaster response efforts..

“The problems we face on the ground are not necessarily resource problems,” insisted Ms. Legand. “It’s an access issue.”

The airport in Ituri’s provincial capital, Bunia, has been closed, and although the Congolese government has allowed humanitarian flights to resume, operational challenges remain. “One day I got a call from my team telling me there was no fuel,” said the WHO expert.

Tedro on the ground

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Congo on Friday, telling journalists in the capital Kinshasa that he was there to show that society was “not alone”.

He called on armed groups acting with impunity in the war-torn east to declare a ceasefire so health workers can reach people in need and stop the spread of the disease.

The DRC notified WHO of the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak on May 15 and as of Thursday, 125 confirmed cases had been reported, including 17 deaths in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

Besides that, 906 suspected cases including more than 223 deaths are under investigation and is under review as testing capacity increases.

In Uganda, as of Thursday, there were seven confirmed cases, including one death. WHO says there is no evidence of community transmission in the country at this stage.

There are no travel restrictions, for now

Despite indicating that people from Ebola-affected areas should not travel, The UN health agency is not recommending travel or trade restrictions with Congo or Uganda based on current information.