The latest outbreak of the deadly disease, which the WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spreading faster than health workers can contain it.
In the DRC, the epicenter of the outbreak, the WHO has raised its national risk assessment from high to very high, and neighboring countries – including Uganda, where five cases and one death have been confirmed – are at particularly high risk.
Treatment centers burned in eastern DRC
However, efforts are hampered, particularly in the DRC’s troubled east, by the local community’s distrust of outside authorities, which significantly increases the risk of disease transmission.
In recent days, two treatment centers were burned down in the region, which has been gripped by intense fighting, displacing more than 100,000 people.
Marie Roseline Bélizaire, Director of Emergency Response for WHO Africa, said: PK Press Club that the attacks are linked to disinformation campaigns circulating on social media, which significantly slow down case investigations and limit the ability of healthcare teams to reach affected communities.
Anger over Ebola burial rules
Strict protocols surrounding the burial of suspected Ebola victims have sparked public anger. Funerals involving more than 50 people were banned by authorities in northeastern DRC, and armed soldiers and police monitored burials carried out by health workers.
According to Dr Belizaire, WHO is working with local traditional leaders and healers to increase community engagement and improve the safety of outside health workers.
The families of the victims have access to mourn their loved ones but, in order to protect them from the virus, they are not allowed to touch the body. “We offer families protective equipment,” explains Dr. Bélizaire, “so that they can help place their loved one in a body bag and pray for them. »
No vaccines
Even though the outbreaks date back almost 20 years, there is still no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo virus.
The WHO has recommended prioritizing two antibodies in clinical trials and evaluating the antiviral obeldesivir in a clinical trial as a treatment for high-risk contacts.
The UN health agency is urgently scaling up its field operations, including contact tracing, establishment of treatment centers, laboratory capacity building, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement. Some $3.9 million has been released from the WHO Emergency Fund for Emergencies to help finance these measures.
