Congo: WHO urges continued efforts as Ebola cases top 10,000

The latest data from the Congolese Ministry of Health shows there were 10,141 cases and almost 5,000 deaths as of Monday.

“Continued efforts are critical to ending this outbreak,” WHO said deeply a tweet.

“This requires continued improvement of key control measures, greater access to affected areas, and community outreach that builds trust and encourages communities to engage in this response.”

Historic outbreak

The UN agency and its partners are assisting Congolese authorities in limiting transmission Ebola disease caused by A rare Bundibugyo virus for which there is currently no vaccine or treatment.

This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the country’s history, and the largest to date. It is also the second largest in the world after the outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2016.

The outbreak began in Congo’s vast and volatile eastern region amid conflict, famine and widespread displacement, and has spread to eight provinces, including hard-to-access areas.

Signs of progress

But the WHO noted that “progress has been made”, as more than 2,600 people have recovered from Ebola, while capacity for testing and treatment has been expanded. In addition, clinical trials of vaccine candidates are underway.

The TUMAINI trial – Swahili for “hope” – will initially evaluate whether the Evebro vaccine used to treat the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus can provide protection in the current crisis..

Vaccination will be administered via a ring vaccination approach, which involves close contact with a confirmed Ebola patient.

“During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, WHO and partners used the same ring vaccination approach in Guinea to help establish the efficacy of Ervebo,” said Dr. Meg Moherty, technical lead of vaccine trials at the agency, attended the TUMAINI launch in the town of Bunia on Friday.

“Today, scientists draw on that experience to search for answers about the Bundibugyo virus,” he added.

WHO recently convened a group of experts to evaluate the evidence on two other vaccines designed specifically to counter Bundibugyo and its findings are expected to be published this week.

Support for Kenya

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian funds have been allocated more than $2 million to improve preparedness and response to Ebola in Kenya.

This funding will enable aid partners to support Government-led efforts, including increased surveillance at border crossing points and training for rapid response teams and frontline workers.

Resources will also be used to strengthen preparedness along refugee and high-risk travel routes in the northwest.

Kenya has recorded nine cases of Ebola, including two deaths. All are linked to the first case of the disease in the country – a Kenyan man working in Congo who flew to Nairobi via Uganda on October 3 and died two days later.

More than 130 contacts were identified and placed under quarantine, and 20 people have been discharged.