WHO director-general visits Congo as Ebola continues rapid spread

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the Democratic Republic of Congo amid a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak that has local health workers worried.

Speaking at a press briefing in Bunia on Saturday, Ghebreyesus said that although the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which currently has no licensed vaccine or treatment, people should not be “without hope.”

“Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care, and some people here in Ituri have already recovered,” Ghebreyesus said. “Seeking care early makes a real difference.”

The WHO is working with partners on safe and effective vaccines and treatments for the Bundibugyo virus through clinical trials, he added.

“DRC has faced Ebola before, 16 times, and has ended every outbreak,” Ghebreyesus said. “This is the seventeenth. That history gives me real confidence.”

More support is still needed, though, Ghebreyesus said.

Medical aid from the European Union arrived in Bunia earlier this week,The Associated Press reported, with more expected in the future. On Thursday, the U.S. added another $80 million to its aid commitment, bringing it to a total $112 million.

As of Wednesday, Congo has reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths, according to the WHO. In both Congo and Uganda, which is also dealing with an outbreak, there have been 134 confirmed cases and 18 confirmed deaths as of Friday.

The Ugandan Health Ministry has confirmed one death, according to the AP.

Dr. Alan Gonzalez, Deputy Director Of Operations for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders, warned that the situation in Ituri Provice is “deeply alarming and a legitimate source of anxiety for communities and frontline health workers alike.”

“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Gonzalez said.

MSF teams say they’re witnessing a response that has not caught up with the rapid spread of the epidemic. Limited testing capacity has made it even more difficult to diagnose the Bundibugyo virus as well, Gonzalez said.

“The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak,” Gonazalez said. “New suspected cases are being reported daily, yet hundreds of samples remain untested.”

Gonzalez pointed to border and airport closures as one reason for the delayed arrival of medical supplies, humanitarian aid and specialized personnel.

“The number of expert medical organizations responding on the ground is still far too limited, and the level of support being provided — including our own — falls far short of what is needed,” Gonzalez said. “People urgently need a response that matches the scale of the crisis they are facing.”

During his remarks to press, Ghebreyesus implored countries which have imposed travel bans or border closures to reconsider.

“These measures make the response harder, and they discourage the transparency that saves lives,” he said.

Both Uganda and Rwanda closed their borders in response to Ebola.

Trump administration last week banned entry of non-U.S. passport holders who had recently visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan. Under current guidelines in the U.S., non-citizens who were in Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda within the past 21 days are temporarily barred from entering the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously said at a White House Cabinet meeting that “we cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.”

Kenyan government moves ahead with quarantine facility, despite court order

The Trump administration planned to deploy U.S. public-health officers to Kenya to staff a potential quarantine facility there because of the Ebola outbreak, The Wall Street Journal first reported this week. But a court order in Kenya on Friday temporarily prohibited the country from creating the facility with the U.S.

“We are aware of the court action filed in Kenya against the Ebola isolation facility. We are in touch with Kenyan authorities and are optimistic we can resolve objections,” the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom‘s office said in a statement.

There are currently no reported Ebola cases in Kenya.

CNN reports that Kenya’s government is moving forward with the plans for the facility despite the court order. A government source told the news outlet that Americans helping to run it landed at Laikipia Air Base on Saturday.

Kenya’s Ministry of Health said it will help to “strengthen monitoring, isolation and emergency response capacity.” Several other isolation and treatment centers are also expected to be set up, CNN said.

The partnership between the U.S. and Kenya “further supports enhanced surveillance, diagnostic capacity, emergency preparedness exercises, critical medical supplies and rapid response capabilities,” the health ministry said.

This facility has been controversial, with the Kaiba Institute bringing the legal case against it.

Nora Mbagathi, the institute’s executive director, said Kaiba is asking the court to “determine whether the Executive can expose the public to such significant risks without complying with constitutional safeguards.”

“At its core, the case is about preserving constitutional accountability, protecting public health, and ensuring that no government may place expediency above the lives and safety of the people of Kenya,” Mbagathi said.

Dr. Ronald G. Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said the building and staffing of a new unit in Kenya during an active outbreak “raises serious questions about resources, timing and the level of care Americans sent there will receive.”

“At a time when this outbreak is already challenging to contain, decisions should be guided by science, transparency and what is best for patients and public health,” he said. “Americans facing exposure to a deadly disease deserve confidence that decisions about their care are being driven by evidence, preparedness and patient safety during an active outbreak.”

---

Round out your reading