Largest Ebola outbreak continues in Congo
The World Health Organization reported that the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread rapidly, but specialists are beginning to better understand the features of the epidemic's development and are adjusting the response strategy.
According to the head of WHO operations to combat the outbreak Tierno Balde, to date the authorities of the DR Congo have registered 2,423 confirmed cases of the disease. 967 people have died, 469 patients have recovered, reports 1news.az citing the UN News Service.
The disease has already affected five provinces of the country, but the main focus remains Ituri province, which accounts for almost 89 percent of all cases of infection and 84% of deaths.
"Despite these figures, we are beginning to better understand the dynamics of this outbreak," notes T. Balde. According to him, the epidemic is developing differently in different regions of the country: in some places there is extremely intense transmission of the infection, in other places the situation remains relatively stable, and some territories are only beginning to face the spread of the virus.
That is why WHO, together with the Ministry of Health of the DR Congo, is revising its approach to combating the disease. Instead of a single strategy, specialists are developing measures that take into account the characteristics of each region.
"We have identified three main patterns of outbreak development: areas with very high intensity of infection transmission, new foci and territories where signs of stabilization are appearing," the UN News Service quotes a WHO representative.
At the same time, he stressed that the epidemic is still developing faster than response measures can be deployed: "Let's be frank: the outbreak is still ahead of us, and we continue to catch up."
In the most affected areas, WHO gives priority to organizing safe and dignified burials of the deceased, creating an effective system for referring patients to specialized medical institutions and expanding treatment options for those who are ill.
Special attention is paid to preventing the spread of infection to new regions. Ten days ago, representatives of WHO and partner organizations visited the city of Kisangani in Tshopo province, where a rapid response strategy was developed with the deployment of mobile teams. The first results, according to T. Balde, inspire cautious optimism: "To date, no secondary cases of infection transmission have been identified there. All five registered cases are imported from Ituri province."
WHO also intends to extend this approach to other areas where new outbreaks of the disease are beginning to appear, including Haut-Uele, Katwa and Butembo.
On July 23, WHO representatives will again travel to Kisangani to assess the results of the work. In addition, the organization is launching a new project to strengthen sanitary control along the Congo River, one of the country's most important transport routes, through which the infection can spread.
Despite the persistently difficult situation, specialists also note the first positive trends. In the city of Mangina, where the outbreak was first detected, the number of new cases is beginning to stabilize. A similar dynamic is observed in the city of Goma in North Kivu province.
Read on the topic:
Number of Ebola victims in DR Congo approaching 900
WHO: New Ebola outbreak in DRC spreading faster than previous ones
