The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the existence of a Ebola Zaire outbreak in the democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), after the Congolese health authorities have registered 28 suspicious cases and 15 deaths, among which are four toilets, in the province of Kasai, in the center of the country.
The RDC government has declared the outbreak after making a Laboratory analysis at the National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB) of Kinshasa, which has confirmed as positive cases of the towns of Bulape and Mweka that presented symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhage.
“We are acting with determination to quickly stop virus spread and protect communities. Based on the country’s extensive experience in the control of viral disease outbreaks, we collaborate closely with the health authorities to quickly intensify the key response measures and put an end to the outbreak as soon as possible, “said WHO general director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi.
WHO has already Fast response team deployed in Kasai composed of experts of the agency in epidemiology, prevention and control of infections, laboratory and case management, which will be responsible for strengthening surveillance, treatment and prevention and control of infections in health centers.
Likewise, provincial experts have been deployed in risk communication to reach communities and help them understand how to protect themselves in front of the virus, which causes a serious already mortal disease in humans.
Both teams will work together to find people who may be infected And they need attention, to ensure that everyone is protected as soon as possible in an “difficult access” area and for which at least one day of travel from Tshikapa, provincial capital of Kasai, which has few aerial connections, is needed.
2,000 dose of the ebola vaccine
The authorities have recognized that the number of cases can continue to increasealthough they have affirmed that the country has a reservation of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Vaccine against this type of Ebola, which are already in Kinshasa, the capital of the country, for its transfer to the area. In addition, the authorities have requested more vaccines.
Among the current fatal victims of the outbreak are Two nurses and a local laboratory technicianas confirmed by the HEG Emergency Response program, Patrick Omim, during a press conference.
After that, he stressed that the current priorities will be to strengthen surveillance in the province of Kasai and the surrounding ones, ensure that prevention and control measures are met, provide medical and logistic support and reinforce risk communication and community participation, thus counteracting misinformation.
“This outbreak is a true reminder of the continuous vulnerability of communities all over Africa to emerging and re -emerging infectious diseases. It reinforces the importance of having solid preparation systems, rapid detection and a coordinated response to save lives, “Otim added.
It should be noted that DRC It has been affected by 15 Ebola outbreaks since 1976being the deadliest that took place between 2018 and 2020, with 3,481 cases, 2,299 deaths and 1,162 survivors. He Last outbreak was notified in April 2022 In the northwestern province of Equateur, which was controlled in less than three months. The province of Kasai was already affected by outbreaks in 2007 and 2008, being the deadliest of 2007, with more than 260 cases and 187 deaths.
