Keys to the Ebola outbreak in Congo, the second worst in history | Society

Ebola is a modern virus that was discovered just 43 years ago – in 1976 – in two simultaneous outbreaks. One was in South Sudan and the other in Yambuku, a village in Zaire – now the Democratic Republic of Congo – and the virus gets its name from the Ebola River, which runs through this city. Since then, there have been five outbreaks. The largest, most deadly and most serious was the one that affected West Africa between 2014 and 2016, killing 11,300 people in three countries. The current epidemic in eastern Congo is already the second worst in history and is not under control. It was declared on August 1, 2018 and 2,500 people were infected over the course of a year. 1,676 of them died. These are the keys to how this virus works.

Who transmits it?

The man is not the natural vector of the virus. It was transmitted to him by wild animals. The natural host is considered to be the fruit bat but, once in humans, it is transmitted by direct contact of fluids and bodily fluids between people (blood, secretions, vomiting and other bodily fluids). ) or by contact with materials contaminated by these fluids. .

How is it transmitted?

The virus is less contagious than other viral diseases and is not transmitted by air, but its virulence is due to its lethality. Its death rate is very high, killing about half of the patients, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There are five types of Ebola virus: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston and Taï Forest. The incubation period is between two and twenty-one days. The average is set at five and is manifested by symptoms very similar to those of other diseases such as malaria or typhus: high sudden fever, muscle and joint pain, weakness, headache followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rashes and some cases, hemorrhages.

Can he be healed?

On the medical front, progress has been made since the epidemic in West Africa. Although there is no approved vaccine, there is one experimental – called rVSV-ZEBOV – that has great protection against this virus, according to the cynical test conducted in Guinea in 2015. And while there is no proven treatment, the use of supportive therapy improves the survival rate.

What are the peculiarities of the Congo epidemic?

Although on the medical side, it is now better prepared to handle the virus, the fight against the current Ebola epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo poses new challenges. First, because it spreads in one of the most violent regions of the planet, at war for 20 years, with virtually nonexistent infrastructure and very difficult access points. . But in addition to insecurity and logistical difficulties, many people and communities reject the existence of the virus. After decades of intervention by international organizations that, according to some communities, have done nothing, Congolese have grown suspicious and believe that there is a hidden strategy behind the health teams. This is why health centers and Ebola treatment centers have been the subject of numerous attacks. Elsewhere, they simply do not believe in their existence and therefore do not protect themselves from the disease.

What is the main thing to control?

For the control of the disease, it is fundamental to prevent, search for and isolate the affected people. It is therefore necessary to avoid physical and direct contact with infected persons, to maintain hygiene and disinfection of hands at all times and to closely monitor the contacts of infected persons to detect possible new cases. The burial of corpses under safe conditions is also very important because it is a significant risk factor. Many health care workers have been directly affected by the body during the various epidemics, but if the precautions taken are respected and properly protected, contact with liquids is avoided, as well as transmission.