The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern due to the rapid spread of the disease. Currently, laboratory-confirmed cases and deaths have been recorded in the Congolese province of Ituri, the Ugandan capital of Kampala, and in the metropolis of Kinshasa among people who have returned from the epicenter of the outbreak.
This is reported by the WHO. The situation is significantly complicated by active population movement, an unstable security situation in eastern Congo, and the high fatality rate of the infection, which is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals.
The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, against which, unlike the Zaire strain, there are currently no approved vaccines or specific medications. The mortality rate from this strain of the virus can reach 50%, and at least four healthcare workers have already been identified among those who died with symptoms of hemorrhagic fever. Given the threat, the organization has called on the governments of the DRC and Uganda to activate national emergency operations centers, strengthen laboratory diagnostics, implement strict infection control protocols in hospitals, and organize safe burials.
Neighboring countries are advised to urgently deploy mobile rapid response teams and implement medical screening at international airports and major border crossings. At the same time, the WHO is strongly opposed to closing national borders, as such restrictions force people to use uncontrolled travel routes, which only increases the risks of further spread of the virus. Due to the lack of medicines, the international organization also called for the immediate launch of clinical trials of experimental vaccines directly in the affected areas, where doctors are currently forced to rely solely on supportive care.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded its 17th Ebola outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of 80 people. This time, the disease was likely caused by the little-studied Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, rather than the more common Zaire ebolavirus.
Ethiopia has recorded its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, which is clinically similar to Ebola. The pathogen is capable of spreading rapidly, but there are no vaccines against it.
