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Amount confirmed Ebola cases have surpassed 8,000 for the first time since the current outbreak began, according to Congolese authorities.
“Even though we are starting to see a decline in transmission in some areas, the number of cases in this outbreak still remains high,” Dr. Janet Diaz of WHOThe Health Emergency Program told journalists in Geneva.
With 8,067 confirmed cases and 3,901 deaths, the case fatality rate reached more than 48 percent in 63 affected health zones in seven of Congo’s 26 provinces..
“We know that for Ebola disease, early access to treatment can significantly increase the chances of survival,” said Dr Diaz. “But in this outbreak, many people still die at home or in their communities because they cannot reach health facilities in time.”
The WHO medical officer had just returned from his second visit to Congo since the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus was declared in May. He mainly visited treatment centers in the epicenter of the epidemic, Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in the country’s northeast.
“Delays in seeking health services, as well as challenges in access and referral, continue to complicate the response,” he said, adding that WHO and its partners are focused on improving early disease recognition, rapid referral systems and early supportive services.
Bed upgrade
Dr Diaz said that as part of the response, Ebola treatment capacity had expanded “from just a handful of beds…at the start of the outbreak to more than 1,600 beds in 50 treatment centers in the seven affected provinces,” with plans for further expansion to more than 2,000 beds.
WHO and its partners have also trained nearly 400 health workers, and launched a training center in Bunia for this purpose.
“Each patient bed requires a skilled workforce to provide safe, quality care around the clock,” stressed Dr Diaz.
A key component of supportive care for Ebola patients, especially those suffering from severe disease, is oxygen, but this life-saving drug is still “unavailable or unreliable in many health facilities, especially in emergencies.”
Ensuring access to oxygen is “more than just cylinders or equipment”, WHO officials stressed, as it requires a functioning health system, reliable infrastructure, trained health workers and a sustainable delivery system “that reaches patients wherever they are”.
“Without previous efforts to increase oxygen in Ebola and Marburg [virus disease] our response, we would not have achieved more positive outcomes for patients at this time,” he concluded.
Although there is currently no approved vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, vaccine trials are underway. Last week, WHO announced that 20,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, previously effective against Zaire’s Ebola virus, had been allocated to a research vaccination program in Ituri province.
