WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Warns Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda “warrants serious concern,” as more than 130 deaths are thought to be linked to the outbreak and more than 500 suspected cases are reported.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday, and he told the World Health Assembly in Geneva that the Bundibugyo strain has “no vaccines or therapeutics.”

Al Jazeera

The NBC News report said the Congolese Health Ministry believes at least 131 people have died and 531 suspected cases have been infected, while the Guardian reported at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths in DRC since the new outbreak began.

NBC News also said the outbreak was undetected for weeks and that funding shortages were hampering efforts to fight Ebola, while the Guardian reported that scientists published the genome of the virus online on Monday night.

In the same NBC News account, the U.S. State Department said it was “strongly” urging Americans not to travel to Congo, South Sudan or Uganda “for any reason,” and it said the U.S. would fund up to 50 Ebola response clinics.

Global health leaders are considering whether vaccines or medicines still in development could be used, as the Guardian reported that the Bundibugyo strain “has no approved vaccine or treatment.”

The Guardian said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the outbreak’s speed and scale are deeply concerning, and it quoted Anne Ancia telling reporters in Geneva that “I don’t think that in two months we will be done with this outbreak.”

AP News

The UN News report said WHO’s Dr Anne Ancia told reporters in Geneva that there are more than 500 suspected cases including 130 suspected deaths, but only 30 cases have been confirmed so far.

The UN News account also described uncertainty around the start of the outbreak, saying “I don't think that we have the ‘patient zero’ for now,” while it added that local tests in Bunia showed negative results for the more common Zaire strain.

In the Business Recorder report, Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said on national television early Tuesday that “We have recorded roughly 131 deaths in total and we have around 513 suspected cases,” while WHO chief Tedros said he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic.”

As the WHO and national authorities push to contain transmission, the UN News report said WHO is supporting the Government-led response with “more than 40 health professionals on the ground” and through the deployment of supplies and extra diagnostic capacity.

“WHO chief concerned over ‘scale and speed’ of Ebola outbreak as Congo reports 134 dead WHO chief concerned over ‘scale and speed’ of Ebola outbreak as Congo reports 134 dead BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization on Tuesday expressed concern over the “scale and speed” of an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known as Bundibugyo in eastern Congo, where authorities reported 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 suspected cases”

Associated Press

The UN News account warned that coercive measures could backfire, quoting Dr Ancia: “If we use coercive measures and the population does not agree, we will see bodies disappear.”

NBC News reported that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory for doctors, recommending that any patients who may have been exposed and have symptoms of Ebola be hospitalized in isolation and tested.

In the Washington Post account, two individuals familiar with the Trump administration’s Ebola response said Americans in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have been exposed, and it reported that “Several planning scenarios are being discussed” for medical evacuation of a symptomatic individual.

CNN reported that Tedros pointed to insecurity and displacement in Ituri, saying “Over 100,000 people have been newly displaced,” and it linked that movement to an increased risk of further spread during an outbreak with no vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain.