WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak in Africa an emergency of international importance. What you need to know
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- WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak in Africa an emergency of international importance. What you need to know
The Ebola Bundibugio strain has killed 88 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and the total number of identified and suspected infections has exceeded 330. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the actual scale of the outbreak may be significantly higher than official data. How the virus spreads is described in the Izvestia article.
Distribution in Africa
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a state of emergency of international importance (PHEIC) in DR Congo and Uganda. The outbreak was initially detected in the province of Ituri in the north-east of DR Congo. The infection was also detected in Bunia, Mongvalu and Rwampara. WHO believes that the real scale of the epidemic may be significantly higher than official statistics.
The Public Health Emergency of International Concern —PHEIC) is the highest level of WHO alert. The Organization introduces this regime when there is a threat that goes beyond the borders of one country and requires urgent coordination between States.
• Despite the severity of the situation, the global risk remains low. Even during the largest Ebola epidemic in history, cases outside Africa were rare. However, the difficult situation in the region — in particular, the war and the high mobility of people — makes control especially difficult. The World Health Organization has already declared the situation an international emergency, which underscores the need for coordination between the countries of the region.
• The current outbreak was caused by a rare subtype of the Ebola virus, Bundibugio. It has been studied worse than other varieties and previously caused only two outbreaks (in 2007 and 2012). There are no approved vaccines or specific drugs for this strain yet, and existing tests detect it worse than other forms of the virus, making diagnosis more difficult.
• It is particularly alarming that the outbreak was detected late: the infection probably lasted for several weeks before official confirmation. This means that the healthcare system is lagging behind, and the actual number of cases may be higher than reported. The main measures now include identifying contacts, controlling the spread in hospitals, and safe burials to prevent further infection.
• DR Congo authorities have introduced strict sanitary measures: mobile medical posts have appeared on the roads. At Bunia Airport, doctors check passengers with signs of respiratory diseases.
Russian Aid
• Rospotrebnadzor has stated that there is no threat of Ebola spreading in Russia. However, the agency has strengthened sanitary control at all border checkpoints within the framework of the Sanitary Shield system. Specialists use the Perimeter digital platform to assess epidemiological risks and control passenger traffic.
• At the same time, Russian epidemiologists continue to cooperate with African countries in monitoring dangerous infections, including Ebola, Marburg and Lassa. There are two research centers on the African continent with the participation of Rospotrebnadzor and several mobile laboratories. These structures help to quickly identify new foci of infection and collect data on the spread of viruses. The risk of Ebola being imported to Russia is considered low in the expert community due to limited air traffic to the outbreak region and the current sanitary control system.
How does the disease work?
• Ebola is one of the most dangerous viral infections in the world. The disease was first discovered in 1976 in Central Africa near the Ebola River, which is where the name came from. The virus is transmitted through the blood and other biological fluids of an infected person or animal. Bats are considered the source of infection.
• Ebola symptoms appear 2-21 days after infection and at first resemble the flu: fever, weakness, headache. Then the disease can go into a severe phase with vomiting, diarrhea and organ failure, sometimes with internal and external bleeding. Treatment is based on supportive therapy, i.e. treatment of complications. At the same time, early help increases the chances of survival. The average mortality rate for Ebola reaches about 50%, but during some epidemics up to 90% of those who fell ill died.
• There is no special medicine against all types of virus yet. Doctors support the body's work by injecting fluids and medications against complications. Vaccines already exist for some strains, but an effective vaccine has not yet been developed against the Bundibugio variant.
• Ebola epidemics usually spread in areas with military conflicts and poor health systems: the current outbreak is centered in Ituri Province in northeastern DR Congo. Armed groups are interfering with the work of doctors and the delivery of medicines. To combat the virus, doctors monitor the contacts of infected people and check passengers at the borders.
• This is the 17th Ebola epidemic in DR Congo. During the largest wave of the disease in 2018-2020, about 2.3 thousand people died, and over the past 50 years, about 15 thousand people have become victims of the virus in Africa.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
