WHO runs to contain Ebola in DRC as it confirms a third case

The World Health Organization confirmed on Friday a third case of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while health officials rush to vaccinate residents and contain the potential outbreak.

Earlier this week, the global health agency confirmed that a woman died of the disease in Butembo, a city in North Kivu province and the epicenter of a previous Ebola outbreak that ended in June. Since then, WHO has confirmed two more cases, including another person who died, said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO’s health emergency program, on Friday.

The number of people who may have been exposed to the virus increased from more than 70 on Monday to 182 on Friday, said Ryan. He added that all but three people were contacted, and more than half of them had previously been vaccinated against Ebola during previous outbreaks.

“We are seeing some benefits from the previous vaccination, but obviously we have to look at the length of time that the vaccine protects,” he said.

He added that new vaccine shipments arrived in Butembo this week. Ultracold chain storage equipment is being installed in Butembo and staff are being trained, said Ryan.

The DRC also has other therapies, including monoclonal Ebola treatments with antibodies, in the capital Kinshasa and in another city, Mbandaka, Ryan said, adding that they will be flown to North Kivu over the weekend. The DRC has enough vaccine for 16,000 people in the country, said Ryan, but it is unclear how far it reached Butembo.

WHO “is still unclear about the original source of the community” of the first Ebola case, said Ryan, adding that the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research is sequencing samples of the virus in its main laboratory in Kinshasa to determine whether the new cases are associated with the latest Butembo outbreak. Ryan said the results are expected over the weekend.

The declared Ebola outbreak that ended in June lasted almost two years. It was the second largest in the world and, when it ended, there were 3,481 cases in total and 2,299 deaths, according to WHO.

WHO noted that outbreak response efforts in North Kivu province have been especially difficult because of the ongoing violent conflicts in the area, which is occupied by more than 100 different armed groups, according to Human Rights Watch.

Ryan said that WHO is working with non-governmental organizations, the DRC government and other United Nations agencies, such as UNICEF, to respond to new cases of Ebola.

Unlike the highly infectious coronavirus, which can be transmitted by people without symptoms, Ebola is believed to spread mainly to people who are already visibly sick. The virus spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of people who are sick or have died of the disease, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ebola has an average lethality rate of 50%, although it may vary according to the outbreak, according to the WHO.

“Obviously, two cases and now a third may not seem like many, many cases in light of what we see globally with Covid, but we were on the alert waiting for Ebola to return in eastern Congo, and we will do everything in our power to support the government in response, “said Ryan.