At least 513 suspected cases and 131 suspected deaths have been recorded in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials said Tuesday, as the World Health Organization warned the disease may be spreading faster than originally understood.
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern last week. Speaking at the UN agency's annual World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday, Tedros explained his decision. "I did not do this lightly," Tedros said. "I did it in accordance with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations, after consulting the ministers of health of both countries, and because I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic. We will convene the Emergency Committee today to advise us on temporary recommendations."
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of Ebola for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics, Tedros said. According to the Associated Press, more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Congo and Uganda, but this is only the third time the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.
Uganda has confirmed two cases in its capital Kampala, including one death, among two individuals who traveled from neighboring Congo. Cases have also been reported in urban areas within Congo, including Goma, one of the country's largest cities and the rebel-held capital of the eastern province of North Kivu. The outbreak began in Congo's north-eastern Ituri province and has since spread to the province of South Kivu.
Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released Monday suggested there had been "substantial" under-detection and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases. The study said the current outbreak is "larger than currently ascertained" and that its "true magnitude remains uncertain." It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on April 24.
WHO's Dr. Anne Ancia, speaking to the BBC, said Congo's Ituri province was a "very unsecured area with lots of movement of population," making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease. She said: "The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across border and also in other provinces." Ancia added: "We really need to go fast to really try to stop the spread of the disease further. We don't understand yet the extent of the spread of the disease."
Residents near the epicenter described conditions on the ground to the BBC. One man identified himself only as Bigboy and said people are "really scared." Another local, Alfred Giza, said the community is aware of the threat and waiting to receive face masks, but that he would not know what to do if someone close to him contracted the disease. A third man said infected people are dying "very fast" and added: "Ebola has tortured us."
The Red Cross warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information and health systems are overwhelmed, and said "we are seeing all those conditions" in the current outbreak. On Tuesday, Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi called for "calm" and urged citizens to remain vigilant after holding a crisis meeting Monday evening.
The WHO said more than 40 experts were deployed to the field on Sunday and that it has sent 12 tons of supplies, with six more tons coming. Supplies include personal protective equipment for front-line healthcare workers, laboratory samples, tents, drugs and other treatments. An American doctor working in the DRC, identified by an international Christian missions organization as Dr. Peter Stafford, is among those who have tested positive for Ebola amid the outbreak. Congolese Minister of Public Health Samuel Roger Kamba said authorities will determine which of the recorded deaths "are actually linked to the disease."
