MSF prepares large-scale response to Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Médecins Sans Frontières The Bundibugyo strain is distinct in that there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Following the official declaration of an Ebola outbreak by the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on May 15, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is preparing to rapidly scale up its medical response in Ituri province, in the country’s northeast. The World Health Organization has declared this a public health emergency of international concern. On May 9 and 10, MSF received alerts of an increased number of deaths from a suspected viral hemorrhagic fever in Mongwalu health zone, an area northwest of Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, a team went to assess the situation and found that 55 people had died since the beginning of April. MSF also received subsequent reports that cases had been identified in Bunia and Rwampara health zones. According to Congolese authorities, a total of 246 suspected cases and more than 80 deaths have been reported across the three health zones. This outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. The Bundibugyo strain is distinct from the more common Zaire strain in that there is no approved vaccine , and no approved treatment. In Ituri, many people already struggle to access health care and live with ongoing insecurity, making rapid action critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating further. On May 15, health authorities in neighboring Uganda also confirmed one case of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus in a 59-year-old Congolese man who died on May 14. MSF has informed the Ugandan Ministry of Health that it is ready to support the public health authorities’ response. “The number of cases and deaths we ar...

Original source: Relief Web