“Every day, cases are identified in new health zones. And this really reflects the scale of this epidemic, a scale much greater than what is detected and the high mobility of the population in this part of the DRC,” said Dr Olivier le Polain, head of epidemiology and analysis at the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the approximately three weeks since the fast-moving outbreak was confirmed, DRC health authorities reported 676 cases and 136 deaths of the rare and deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.
Infections have been identified in an area stretching from Aru in northern Ituri province to Miti Murhesa in South Kivu, approximately 1,000 kilometers. “And we have 34 health zones affected since yesterday, so these health zones [with Ebola] continue its expansion, with new areas in North Kivu also reporting [cases] yesterday“, Dr le Polain told journalists in Geneva, via video link from Beni.
Response leaders have stressed that many young people in the region are malnourished and are not vaccinated against preventable diseases. T
This means they are extremely vulnerable to disease in this resource-rich region, where there is already a humanitarian crisis caused by decades of fighting between government forces and armed militias.
Households, new target
So far, most infections have affected adults going about their daily lives, “but As the outbreak evolves, we must prepare for an increase in household transmission, meaning more children could be affected. in the days to come,” warned Dr Douglas Noble, UNICEF global lead for public health emergencies and global lead for Ebola incidents.
“They are already very vulnerable children, so this community’s ability to absorb any additional stressors was already strained“, he said, stressing that more than half of children under five in Ituri province suffer from “chronic malnutrition”.
Zero dose
More than one in five children are also “non-dose” children, meaning they have never received their first dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines.
Estimating the number of children likely to be affected is problematic because sufficient surveillance data are not yet available.
However, previous Ebola outbreaks in the DRC showed that children “constituted a a significant share of cases and an even larger share of deathswith the youngest facing the highest mortality rates and many of them left orphaned or separated from caregivers,” Dr Noble explained.
As part of its six-month response to help 3.7 million people, the agency dispatched eight transport flights carrying more than 100 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies to the DRC, with support from the European Union.
The emergency shipment includes personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, medicines, hygiene equipment and medical supplies to deal with the virus in affected communities.
“Schools can remain open”
Although Ebola can be deadly, it is transmitted very differently from COVID and usually via bodily fluids. Children who can go to school should therefore continue to do so, stressed the UNICEF official.
“There is no reason for a school to close. Infection prevention and control measures must be taken and there must be education within the school, among teachers, staff and among children.”
Unlike the Ebola-Zaire strains of the disease, there are Currently no treatment or vaccine specific to Bundibugyo virus is approved. This highlights the need for increased support for surveillance efforts aimed at containing transmission, Dr le Polain said. “We are now at just over 70 percent in terms of contacts correctly traced. That’s a huge improvement from where we were about a week or two ago, but it’s still too low to guarantee proper monitoring.”
Improving local testing capacities is another key factor in overcoming the health threat, as the true scale of the epidemic is “not yet clear”, explained the WHO official. He pointed out that in Beni, an analysis laboratory processed 500 tests on Thursday alone. “This will also help clarify the extent of the epidemic in Beni,” he added.
For its part, UNICEF has also deployed more than 1,600 community health workers and mobilizers, as well as 24 decontamination teams, already reaching more than 160,000 households.
“We can spare children the worst of this epidemic. Rapid detection, rigorous pediatric care, contact surveillance, and informed and engaged communities can help bring this outbreak under control.“, said Dr Noble. “What we need now are resources, humanitarian access and trusted communities to succeed. “
