WHO raises alarm as Ebola deaths in Congo rise to 131
WHO warns of a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo as deaths rise to 131 from the rare Bundibugyo strain, with 516 suspected cases and no approved vaccines. Learn how the WHO, CDC, Uganda, and other countries are responding to this public health emergency and what it means for global health security.
Two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus a public health emergency of international concern, deaths linked to the virus climbed to 131 in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities reported on Tuesday, 19 May.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the “scale and speed of the epidemic” at the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday.
There are 516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases, while Uganda, a neighboring country, has recorded two confirmed cases, Reuters reported.
According to Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières, the rare Bundibugyo strain last surfaced in the DRC in 2012. Its estimated case fatality rate ranges from 25 percent to 40 percent. There are still no approved vaccines for the strain.
Meanwhile, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is currently developing a monoclonal antibody therapy for the strain. However, the United States withdrew from the WHO in January despite being the organization’s largest funder.
The WHO has provided a $3.9-billion emergency fund to the Ugandan government to help contain the outbreak.
Historically, Congo has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first discovered in 1976. This marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.
Despite not being a neighboring country to the affected nations, the Philippines remains on alert and is in “active coordination with the WHO,” according to Department of Health Undersecretary Dr. Albert Domingo on Sunday, 17 May.