WHO declare Ebola outbreak for DR Congo global health emergency
Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
- Author, Thomas Mukhwana
- Role, Africa correspondent
- Reporting from, Nairobi
- Author, Yang Tian
- Published
- Read am in 4 mins
Di World Health Organization (WHO) don declare Ebola outbreak for di Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern.
Di agency say di outbreak for DR Congo eastern Ituri province, wey don get around 246 suspected cases and 80 reported deaths, no meet di criteria of pandemic emergency.
Di global health body warn say wetin dey happun "big pass outbreak" and currently e pass wetin dem dey report, wit significant risk of local and regional spread.
Bundibugyo virus na di cause of di current strain of Ebola, and di health agency say e no get any approved drugs or vaccines.
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Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat, and e dey followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and bleeding.
WHO tok say eight laboratory-confirmed cases of di virus don dey, wit oda suspected cases and deaths across three health zones wey include Bunia, di capital of Ituri province, and the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
Dem confam one case of di virus for di capital Kinshasa, dem believe say na from one patient wey bin return from Ituri.
Di global health agency add say di virus don spread beyond DR Congo, as two confirmed cases dey reported for neighbouring Uganda.
Ugandan officials say one 59-year-old man wey die on Thursday bin test positive of di virus.
Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
For inside one statement, Ugandan govment say di patient wey die na one Congolese citizen and dem don return di body to DR Congo.
WHO tok say di ongoing security situation and humanitarian crisis for DR Congo, join wit high population mobility, urban location of di hotspot, plus di large number of informal healthcare facilities for di region, don increase di risk of spread.
Dem consider countries wey share border wit DR Congo as high-risk sake of trade and travel.
Di health body don advise DR Congo and Uganda to establish emergency operation centres to monitor, trace, and implement infection-prevention measures.
To reduce di spread, di health agency say make dem immediately confam and treat confirmed cases until di two Bundibugyo virus-specific tests wey dem conduct at least 48 hours apart dey negative.
For countries wey dey share border regions wit confirmed cases, dem advise say make dia govments improve surveillance and health reporting.
Di WHO add say make countries outside di affected region no close dia borders or restrict travel and trade as "dat kain measures dey usually implemented out of fear and e go get basis for science".
WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warn say currently "di true number of infected persons and geographic spread" of di outbreak no dey clear.
Dem first deliver Ebola for 1976 for wetin now be DR Congo and believe dey say e dey spread from bats.
Dis na di 17th outbreak of di deadly viral disease for di kontri.
E dey spread through direct contact wit bodily fluids and through broken skin, and e dey cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
No proven cure for Ebola, di average fatality rate dey around 50%, according to di WHO.
Africa CDC previously tok say dem dey concerned by di high risk of further spread sake of di urban settings of Rwampara and Bunia, and mining activities for Mongwalu.
Di health agency executive director Dr Jean Kaseya add say di "significant population movement" between di affected areas and neighbouring countries also mean say regional co-ordination dey important.
Around 15,000 pipo don die from di virus for African countries ova di past 50 years.
