Congo: Ebola spreads as many agencies prepare to treat child victims

“Every day, cases are being identified in new health zones. And this really reflects the scale of this outbreak, the scale much larger than what was detected and the high mobility of the population in this region of Congo,” said Dr Olivier le Polain, head of the epidemiology and response analysis unit at the World Health Organization (WHO).WHO).

In the approximately three weeks since this fast-spreading outbreak was confirmed, Congolese health authorities have reported 676 cases and 136 deaths of the rare and deadly Bundibugyo speciesEbola virus.

Infections have been identified in a zone stretching from Aru in the north of Ituri province to Miti Murhesa in South Kivu, about 1,000 kilometers. “And as of yesterday there were 34 health zones affected, so that’s the health zone [with Ebola] continues to expand, with new areas in North Kivu also reported [cases] yesterday,” Dr le Polain told journalists in Geneva, via video from Beni.

Those leading the action emphasize that many young people in the region are malnourished and do not receive vaccinations against preventable diseases. This means they are particularly vulnerable to disease in this resource-rich region, where a humanitarian crisis is already brewing, caused by decades of fighting between government forces and armed militias.

Households are the new target

Until now, most infections occurred among adults going about their daily lives, “but as this outbreak progresses, we must prepare for increased transmission within households which means we may see more children affected in the days ahead”, Dr Douglas Noble warned, UNICEF Global Lead for Public Health Emergencies and Global Incident Manager for Ebola.

“The bottom line is, these children are already so vulnerable, that the capacity of these communities to absorb additional stressors has reached breaking point,” he said, noting that more than half of children under five in Ituri province “experience chronic malnutrition.” More than one in five children are also “zero dose” children, meaning they have never had their first dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines.

Estimating the number of children who may be affected is problematic because adequate surveillance tracking data is not yet available.

Nonetheless, past Ebola outbreaks in Congo show that children “are a significant number of cases and a greater number of deathswith the youngest children facing the highest mortality rates and many becoming orphans or separated from their caregivers,” explains Dr Noble.

As part of its six-month response to help 3.7 million people, the agency has sent eight transport flights with more than 100 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies to Congo, with support from the European Union.

The emergency cargo includes personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, medicines, cleaning supplies and medical supplies to deal with the virus in affected communities.

‘Schools can stay open’

Although Ebola can be deadly, it is transmitted very differently to COVID and is generally through bodily fluids, so children who are able to attend school should continue to do the same, the UNICEF official said. “There is no reason for schools to close. Infection prevention and control measures must be taken and there must be education within schools, among teachers and staff, as well as among children.”

Unlike the Ebola-Zaire type of disease, this disease exists There are currently no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapies or vaccines. This highlights the need for greater support for surveillance efforts to stem transmission, said Dr le Polain. “We are now at 70 percent in terms of contacts being properly traced. This is a big improvement compared to a week or two ago, but it is still too low to ensure proper control.”

Increasing local testing capacity is another key factor in addressing the health threat as the full scale of the outbreak is “not yet clear”, WHO officials explained. He noted that in Beni, the testing laboratory processed 500 tests on Thursday alone. “This will also be helpful in gaining clarity on the scale of the outbreak in Beni,” he added.

UNICEF has also deployed more than 1,600 workers and community health mobilizers, as well as 24 decontamination teams, which have reached more than 160,000 households.

“We can save children from the worst impacts of this outbreak. Rapid detection, robust child care, contact monitoring and an informed and engaged community can help control this outbreak,” said Dr Noble. “What we need now are resources, humanitarian access, and trusted communities to achieve success.”