What is the story about?
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that the risk of the Ebola virus spreading in Congo and Uganda is high at both
national and regional levels, though the threat remains low globally. This assessment coincides with the WHO team leader in Congo stating that the current outbreak, which has resulted in 134 suspected deaths, could persist for at least two more months as efforts to contain the virus intensify.
Public Health Emergency Declared
The WHO has classified the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, necessitating a coordinated global response. On Tuesday, officials voiced alarm regarding the outbreak's “scale and speed.”Residents have reported a surge in prices for face masks and disinfectants since the outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain of Ebola that initially went undetected for weeks following the first reported death. Authorities had tested for a more common type of Ebola but found negative results, according to health experts and aid workers. Currently, there are no approved medications or vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus.
As of Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed 51 cases in Congo's northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, along with two cases in Uganda. He noted that there are nearly 600 additional suspected cases and deaths.
“We know that the scale of the epidemic is much larger,” Ghebreyesus stated. “We expect those numbers to keep increasing.”
Challenges in Response Efforts
Congo is anticipating shipments of an experimental vaccine from the United States and Britain, developed by researchers at Oxford. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, a virus expert at the National Institute of Biomedical Research, mentioned on Tuesday that the vaccine would be administered to determine who develops the disease.Health experts have indicated that delayed detection of the virus, significant population movements in affected regions, and a preexisting humanitarian crisis have complicated response efforts. Armed rebel groups control parts of eastern Congo, hindering aid delivery.
The first confirmed death from the virus occurred on April 24 in Bunia, but confirmation was delayed for several weeks. The body was later returned to the Mongbwalu health zone, a mining area with a dense population.
“That caused the Ebola outbreak to escalate,” remarked Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba.
Dr. Anne Ancia, head of the WHO team in Congo, noted that authorities have yet to identify “patient zero.” She emphasized the long road ahead, citing funding cuts that have adversely impacted humanitarian efforts.
International Support and Local Impact
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration would prioritize funding for 50 emergency clinics in affected areas, having already contributed $13 million to the response efforts, with additional funding expected.In Bunia, where the first known death occurred, schools and churches remained open on Wednesday, although some residents wore masks outdoors. Local residents reported difficulty in finding masks, with the price of some disinfectants increasing from 2,500 Congolese francs to as high as 10,000 francs ($4.4).
“It’s truly sad and painful because we’ve already been through a security crisis, and now Ebola is here too,” said resident Justin Ndasi. “We have to protect ourselves to avoid this epidemic.”
Trish Newport, an emergency program manager with Doctors Without Borders, indicated that her team identified suspected cases over the weekend at the Salama hospital, which lacks an isolation ward. Efforts to transfer patients to another facility in Bunia were unsuccessful.
“The team called around to other health facilities to see if they had isolation space,” she explained. “Every health facility they called said, ‘We’re full of suspected cases. We don’t have any space.’ This gives you a vision of how chaotic it is right now.”
In Mongbwalu, the town at the outbreak's epicenter, gold mining activities continue, and the border with Uganda remains open, according to local civil society leader Chérubin Kuku Ndilawa.
“There’s no panic; people are continuing their normal lives, but they’re also starting to spread the word,” Ndilawa noted. He added that efforts to contain the outbreak are hampered by a lack of handwashing stations in public areas.
Dr. Didier Pay, a former director of the Mongbwalu General Hospital, reported that his clinic is currently treating around 30 Ebola patients. He confirmed that a student from the local medical technology institute died on Wednesday morning.
