Congo Reels Under Largest Recorded Ebola Disease Outbreak in Country: WHO

Congo is in the midst of its worst-ever Ebola outbreak, with almost 1,600 individuals dying from the disease, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).In total, 3626 confirmed Ebola cases have been reported worldwide, out of which 3,605 are from Congo, the WHO said in an Aug. 1 statement. Twenty cases have been reported in Uganda and one in France. A total of 1,589 deaths were reported cumulatively, with Congo accounting for 1,587 deaths and Uganda the remaining two.The outbreak in Congo is now the “largest recorded Ebola disease outbreak in the country, surpassing the previous largest outbreak, which occurred from 2018 to 2020, and resulted in 3317 confirmed cases,” the WHO said.As of July 30, this year, 651 individuals from Congo, 18 in Uganda, two in Germany, and one in France have recovered from the illness. The two German cases involved individuals whose infections were first diagnosed in Congo and later treated in Germany.With 3,605 cases, including 1,587 deaths, the Ebola outbreak in Congo has a fatality rate of 44 percent, meaning that more than four in ten people in the country who contracted the disease died.The most affected province in Congo, Ituri, accounts for 88 percent of all confirmed cases and 82.6 percent of reported deaths.According to the WHO, the outbreak is taking place amid a conflict-affected setting where numerous people have been displaced. There is limited access to essential services in the country, including clean water, food, and health care, all of which “increase the risk of disease transmission,” the agency said.In an Aug. 3 statement, the United Nations said that people with Ebola infections get treated in a special “red zone” within a treatment center, and distinct from the center’s publicly accessible “green zone.”U.N. agencies and partners are coordinating with the government of Congo to scale up the response to the Ebola situation. The total bed capacity for Ebola response in the country is roughly 900.Aid teams have identified Ebola as causing premature deliveries and stillbirths among women, the U.N. said, adding that there is a need to provide additional care for pregnant women.A phase 1 trial of an experimental vaccine against Ebola is underway in the United Kingdom, with one person already having received the vaccine. The trial seeks to assess the safety of the vaccine and immune responses triggered by it.The vaccine has been developed by the University of Oxford. An Indian manufacturer working with the university has already manufactured roughly 620,000 doses and is awaiting authorization. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, which causes Ebola.US SituationEntry into the United States for travelers who recently visited Congo is temporarily restricted, the CDC said in a July 23 statement. All Americans who have been to Congo must remain outside the African nation for at least 21 days before entering the United States.As for Ebola infections in the United States, there have been no such cases in the country to date, the CDC said in an Aug. 5 update.“The likelihood of Ebola spreading to the United States is considered very low,” the agency said. “If a case was diagnosed in the United States, the risk of Ebola spreading in the United States is also low due to the strength of our public health system and infection control measures.”According to the CDC, the agency is working domestically and internationally to respond to the disease outbreak and prevent the illness from entering the country. Roughly 400 people from the agency are currently involved in responding to the outbreak, including over 120 individuals who have been deployed to affected nations.