© picture alliance / Anadolu | Nicholas Kajoba
The Ebola outbreak in the Congo and Uganda is of great concern to the WHO. "We expect this to be a major outbreak," Dr. Dick Chamla of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in Trouw.
The recent wave of Ebola virus infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda is of great concern to the World Health Organization. This was reported by Dr. Dick Chamla, program manager of a WHO emergency response center in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, in an interview with Trouw.
The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo variant: there is no vaccine or targeted treatment for it, and only its symptoms can be controlled. The late discovery of the outbreak has already made contact investigation almost impossible. So far, over a thousand cases and 263 deaths have been recorded, but the real number is probably much higher. The WHO estimates the mortality rate at 30 to 50 percent.
A spread to neighboring countries, especially South Sudan, is feared. The outbreak could get worse because of a variety of factors, including Congo's weak healthcare system, ongoing conflict, limited testing capacity and cultural resistance to funeral rites.
Ten countries in the region are being prepared for possible outbreaks at a hefty cost. Almost half the required funding of half a billion dollars has been pledged. The United States may have withdrawn from the WHO, but it is also contributing through other United Nations organizations. Global solidarity is indispensable, stresses WHO physician Chamla: "There is a growing resistance to international cooperation, but diseases know no borders."
Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Nicholas Kajoba