The number of suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 1,000, with at least 246 deaths reported. With confirmed cases and fatalities also emerging in neighboring Uganda, international concern is mounting.
According to the BBC on Sunday, Allan Gonzalez, deputy head of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said in a statement that "no previous outbreak has reported this many cases within just two weeks of the official declaration of an Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province," adding that "the current situation is extremely serious."
He explained that "new suspected cases are emerging daily, but hundreds of samples remain untested, making it difficult to accurately gauge the true scale of the outbreak." He also pointed out that "various constraints, including border controls and airport closures, have delayed quarantine activities and the delivery of relief supplies, leaving the on-the-ground response unable to keep pace with the spread."
WHO Field Inspection: "Funeral Customs May Also Drive Infection Spread"
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), recently visited Ituri Province in eastern DRC, the epicenter of the outbreak, to inspect quarantine measures. Stressing the importance of expanding community engagement, he said, "Some funeral practices involving touching the bodies of those who have died from Ebola can increase the risk of viral transmission." He emphasized that "efforts are needed to mourn the victims while also preventing further infections."
The current outbreak has been identified as being caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Because it differs genetically and significantly from the Zaire strain, which was the main cause of previous outbreaks in the DRC, no approved vaccine or treatment is currently available. As a result, on-the-ground response is relying on non-pharmaceutical measures such as contact tracing, isolation and treatment, infection control, and the operation of safe funeral procedures.
"Insufficient Preparation for the Next Pandemic"... Korea Strengthens Quarantine
Tom Frieden, who led the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the Barack Obama administration, warned on Bloomberg TV that "this outbreak is exposing the vulnerabilities of the global public health system." He said, "While this Ebola outbreak is unlikely to develop into a pandemic, it is a test of how prepared the world is for future infectious disease crises," adding that "the current response is not satisfactory." Citing the suspension of WHO contributions and CDC staff reductions, he pointed out that "the global health response capacity has been weakened."
Ebola virus disease is an acute hemorrhagic fever transmitted through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated items. Early symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and severe cases can involve bleeding symptoms along with liver dysfunction and reductions in white blood cells and platelets. The fatality rate is known to reach up to 90 percent depending on the virus strain and medical environment.
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that a 37-year-old man who recently visited the DRC has shown suspected Ebola symptoms in São Paulo, Brazil, prompting local health authorities to launch an investigation. In Korea, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) designated the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan as priority quarantine management areas starting on the 19th and has strengthened entry quarantine procedures. However, the KDCA assesses that the likelihood of domestic transmission is low, given that Ebola spreads through contact with the blood and bodily fluids of infected persons and that current outbreaks are confined to parts of Africa.
