The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday raised the national risk assessment for the DRC to “very high” – although the global risk remains “low”.
So far, 82 cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in the DRC, but the WHO says the true scale of the outbreak is likely far greater, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths reported.
The outbreak is unfolding amid intensified fighting, mass displacement and deep distrust of outside authorities, fueled by rumors and misinformation.
A hospital in Ituri province was set on fire by angry relatives on Thursday after authorities refused to release the body of a deceased family member for fear of contamination, according to reports.
How is the UN system responding?
- WHO travels Ebola risk in DRC to ‘very high’; regional risk remains “high” and global risk “low”
- WHO deploys 22 international staff; UNICEF sends emergency response team to Bunia.
- Health team support contact tracing, treatment sites, risk communication and community engagement
- The UN relief chief allocates up to 60 million dollars for efforts in the DRC and neighboring countries; WHO releases $3.9 million
- WHO and Africa CDC establish a continental incident management support team
- MONUSCO lifts almost 30 tons of emergency supplies – including medicine, tents and protective equipment
- The UN peacekeeping mission also operates an airlift and deploys vehicles to bolster logistics
- WHO and partners are preparing clinical trials of experimental Ebola treatments and potential vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo tribe.
- Red Cross volunteers carry out door-to-door information campaigns and mobilize safe and dignified burial procedures
Read more about the outbreak here and about Ebola symptoms and prevention here.
Two cases in Uganda
Two cases – linked to travel from the DRC – have been confirmed in Uganda, including one death.
Two US citizens – including a doctor and another person described as a “high-risk contact” – have been transferred to Europe for treatment or monitoring.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutic agents. Only two previous outbreaks of the strain have ever been recorded – in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012.
Conflict complicates the response
The outbreak is unfolding in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, regions long scarred by armed violence and humanitarian crises.
“Across both provinces, around four million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, two million are displaced and ten million face acute hunger,Tedros said.
Fighting has intensified in recent months, displacing more than 100,000 people and hampering health operations.
Emergency grant 60 million dollars
Also on Friday, UN Relief and Works Coordinator Tom Fletcher announced the allocation of up to $60 million from the organization’s Central Relief Fund to support efforts in the DRC and neighboring countries.
“These are tough operating environments for lifesaving work,” said Mr. Fletcher. “We are facing conflict and high population movement.”
He stressed the importance of ensuring access for frontline responders, including in areas controlled by armed groups. “It is important that there is no obstruction,” he said.
The province of Ituri (pictured) in eastern DR Congo is among the worst affected areas.
Ebola ‘making’ charge
Aid organizations stressed that misinformation and mistrust could undermine efforts to contain the outbreak.
Gabriela Arenas of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said many communities are still carrying the trauma of past Ebola epidemics.
“They remember the fear. They remember the rumors that spread to villages,” she told reporters in Geneva from Nairobi. “They remember neighbors disappearing into treatment centers.”
While many residents are seeking information and treatment, others still “believe that Ebola is fabricated,” she said.
The IFRC said Red Cross volunteers were already going door-to-door in affected areas to share information and support safe and dignified burials.
“During an Ebola outbreak, trust and community acceptance can mean the difference between containment and wider transmission,” said Mrs. Arenas.
Women at greatest risk
Social dynamics driving transmission could leave women disproportionately affected, as they have in previous Ebola outbreaks, agencies warn.
“Women are more likely to be infected in the first place,” said Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s humanitarian chief.
During the 2018-2019 Ebola outbreak in DRC, women and girls accounted for about two-thirds of reported cases.
“This is because Ebola transmission follows social realities,” Calltorp said. “The virus is spreading towards caregiving, domestic work, frontline health work and funeral practices.”
Pregnant women face particular risks, she added, while quarantines can increase gender-based violence.
A WHO staff member at the agency’s response hub in Nairobi prepares emergency supplies for airlift to the Ebola outbreak-affected areas of DR Congo.
Containment efforts are being intensified
The WHO said it had deployed 22 international staff to the field and released $3.9 million from its emergency fundwhile a continental incident management team was established with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency and its partners are also accelerating work on experimental vaccines and therapeutics for the Bundibugyo tribe.
Tedros said the WHO’s research advisory group had recommended prioritizing two monoclonal antibodies for clinical trials, along with testing the antiviral drug obeldesivir for high-risk contacts.
He also stressed the importance of restoring trust.
“Building trust with the affected communities is essential to a successful response and is one of our highest priorities,” he said.
