Early detection and community mobilization remain key to saving lives, while potential treatments and vaccines are still being evaluated, the UN health agency said on Friday.
Since May 15, UN agencies have been supporting the DRC and neighboring Uganda to contain the outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which spreads through close contact.
“It’s a disease that you get when you’re taking care of someone, your husband, your partner, your child or your mother,” Anaïs Legand, WHO technical manager, told reporters in Geneva.
“You get it when you want to help someone with symptoms, and it’s terrible“, she said, explaining that families and friends should be instructed not to touch loved ones who become ill.
30 to 50 percent chance of death
Ms. Legand underlined the crucial importance of prevention and early access to care in the face of this particularly deadly disease. Based on previous outbreaks, the lethality “is between 30 and 50 percent,” she said – “that’s huge.”
Even though “five out of ten people are at risk of dying”, more can be done to promote recovery, according to the WHO expert.
“We can expand optimized intensive care,” she said. “We can help communities recognize symptoms quickly to get an early diagnosis, so they can receive the level of care they need.” »
Experience shows that Ebola outbreaks can only be brought under control when communities are “fully involved” in the response, Ms Legrand insisted – highlighting a recent case in the DRC where a patient made a full recovery and was released from hospital.
Detective work
The WHO has brought together experts to review potential treatments and vaccines against the virus, with several products now identified for further evaluation.
For confirmed cases, three therapeutic product candidates have been prioritized for clinical trialsMs. Legand revealed: the monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimab, and the antiviral remdesivir.
A shipment of medical supplies essential to the fight against Ebola arrives at Bunia airport, in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
For prevention, obeldesivir, an oral antiviral, is being prioritized in a clinical study as a post-exposure measure for those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.
The WHO expert added that two vaccine candidates have been identified for evaluation once doses become available.
The agency is working closely with the governments of the DRC and Uganda while “urgently increasing healthcare capacity”.
Access problem
“This epidemic occurs in a very complex context,” she stressed, recalling that In the affected province of Ituri alone, 1.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, while ongoing conflict and food insecurity hamper the response..
“The problem we encounter on the ground is not necessarily a question of resources,” insisted Ms. Legand. “It’s about access.”
The airport in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, has been closed and, although the DRC government has authorized humanitarian flights, operational constraints remain. “One day I received a call from my team informing me that there was no fuel“, said the WHO expert.
Tedros on the ground
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the DRC on Friday, telling reporters in the capital Kinshasa that he was there to show that the community is “not alone.”
He called on multiple armed groups operating with impunity in the war-ravaged eastern region to declare a ceasefire so health workers can reach people in need and stop the spread of the disease.
The DRC notified WHO of an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease on May 15 and as of Thursday, 125 confirmed cases were reported, including 17 deaths in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Furthermore, 906 suspected cases, including more than 223 deaths, under investigation and are revised as testing capacity improves.
In Uganda, as of Thursday, there were seven confirmed cases, including one death. The WHO said there was no evidence of community transmission in the country at this stage.
No travel restrictions, for now
While indicating that people from affected areas who may have been exposed to Ebola should not travel, UN health agency recommends no restrictions on travel or trade with DRC or Uganda based on current information.
The general reference hospital of Rwampara in the province of Ituri, in DR Congo.
