WHO: Ebola Outbreak Has Taken a Serious Turn

Photo: AP Photo / Jerome Delay, File

According to WHO data on Wednesday, 344 cases of Ebola infection have been confirmed in the DRC, of which 60 resulted in death. In neighboring Uganda, nine cases of the disease and one death have been confirmed, and one suspected case of infection has also been recorded.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the international community is still lagging behind the development of the epidemic.

«The outbreak has taken a serious turn, and we are still catching up with the situation. But under the leadership of the DRC government, we are gradually managing to catch up», he said at a press conference.

The head of WHO also urged countries that have imposed travel restrictions due to the Ebola outbreak to lift these measures, because, according to Ghebreyesus, they hinder the fight against the virus.

WHO recommends conducting exit screening — at airports, seaports, and border crossings — to prevent the spread of infection beyond the country's borders, but not to complicate the delivery of aid and the work of local medical services.

Spread of the Virus

The outbreak is caused by the Ebola «Bundibugyo» strain. Initially, the disease was detected in the DRC's Ituri province, however, later, cases of infection were also confirmed in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and subsequently in the territory of Uganda.

Monitoring the spread of the infection is seriously complicated by the unstable situation in Ituri, as well as limited access to laboratory diagnostics and testing.

In Ituri province, the issue of staff safety is acute amid repeated attacks on Ebola treatment centers and hospitals.

Due to prolonged violence, it is increasingly difficult for medical services to trace contacts of infected individuals, identify new cases, and ensure timely provision of assistance.

Lack of Means to Combat the Virus

According to medical professionals working in the affected areas of the DRC, the number of sick continues to grow.

All patients — both those suspected of having Ebola and those with a confirmed diagnosis — are placed in isolation. Anyone who comes into contact with them is obliged to use a full set of personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as special devices that reduce the risk of infection transmission.

However, PPE supplies in the Ebola outbreak zone are limited.

Last week, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) warned about a serious shortage of protective kits.

«Nurses fear for their lives because they lack the necessary protective equipment», the ICN emphasized.

The Ebola virus is transmitted from person to person through biological secretions — blood, saliva, sweat, vomit.

An additional problem was that in the first days of the outbreak, diagnosis was too slow. Due to delays, the virus managed to spread first beyond the borders of Ituri province, and then beyond the borders of the DRC — into the territory of neighboring Uganda.

According to WHO specialists, the time lost at the beginning of the epidemic became one of the reasons for such a rapid geographical expansion of the outbreak.

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