1-Jun-2020: Congo declares new Ebola epidemic
Democratic Republic of Congo declared a new Ebola epidemic in the western city of Mbandaka, more than 1,000 km (620 miles) away from an ongoing outbreak of the same deadly virus in the east.
Four people who died in Mbandaka were confirmed as positive cases following testing at the national biomedical laboratory in the capital Kinshasa.
The outbreak was confirmed by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who tweeted: “This outbreak is a reminder that #COVID19 is not the only health threat people face.”
Congo has been struggling to put an end to a nearly two-year-old Ebola outbreak near its eastern borders with Rwanda and Uganda, which has killed more than 2,200 people, the world’s second-deadliest outbreak of the disease on record.
It was days away in April from declaring the end of that outbreak, its tenth since the virus was discovered in 1976, when a new chain of infection was confirmed in the east. However, no new cases have been detected there in over 30 days.
17-Jul-2019: Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The declaration followed a meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for EVD in the DRC. The Committee cited recent developments in the outbreak in making its recommendation, including the first confirmed case in Goma, a city of almost two million people on the border with Rwanda, and the gateway to the rest of DRC and the world.
This was the fourth meeting of the Emergency Committee since the outbreak was declared on 1 August 2018.
The Committee expressed disappointment about delays in funding which have constrained the response. They also reinforced the need to protect livelihoods of the people most affected by the outbreak by keeping transport routes and borders open. It is essential to avoid the punitive economic consequences of travel and trade restrictions on affected communities.
It is important that the world follows these recommendations. It is also crucial that states do not use the PHEIC as an excuse to impose trade or travel restrictions, which would have a negative impact on the response and on the lives and livelihoods of people in the region.
Since it was declared almost a year ago the outbreak has been classified as a level 3 emergency – the most serious – by WHO, triggering the highest level of mobilization from WHO. The UN has also recognized the seriousness of the emergency by activating the Humanitarian System-wide Scale-Up to support the Ebola response.
27-Jul-2018: New Ebola virus strain found in Sierra Leone
Researchers in Sierra Leone have found a new strain of the Ebola virus from the bats in northern Bombali region by scientists in a joint US-West African study funded by USAid.
The finding comes two years after end of the worst-ever Ebola outbreak that killed more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. But researchers say the new Bombali virus is distinct from other Ebola virus strains and it is not yet known whether it could develop into the deadly disease.
At this time it is not known if Bombali virus has been transmitted to people or if it causes disease in people. However, results show it has the potential to infect human cells. Further investigation is needed to understand more about the specific risks it poses.
The study is part of the Predict Ebola Host Research Project in West Africa that brings together scientists from the University of California Davis and Colombia University in the US and their counterparts in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to improve understanding and preparedness for future disease outbreaks in the region.
The three West African neighbour countries were hard hit by the Ebola outbreak which began in Guinea in December 2013 before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone. The epidemic was declared over by the World Health Organisation in 2016 after claiming over 11,300 lives out of nearly 30,000 registered cases.
The Predict Research is designed to monitor wildlife specimens for known pathogens in the wake of the West African outbreak.
In Sierra Leone, of the 241 bat specimens sampled, five tested positive of the Bombali virus.
The government said it will engage the local communities in the area to create awareness of the new strain and health safety measures.
The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was caused by the Zaire virus, which was discovered in Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, in 1976. It is the most deadly strain known. The Zaire virus has struck DRC nine times with the latest outbreak having been declared over on Tuesday this week by the WHO after a 10-week re-emergence that claimed 33 lives.
The Sierra Leone discovery brings to six the number of known Ebola virus strains. Others are Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo and Reston.
The Ebola virus disease is a highly fatal haemorrhagic fever that is spread through contact with bodily fluids from infected persons and animals which include non-human primates, bats and forest antelope.