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The ebola epidemic affecting the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) has reached a tragic stage. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the epidemic is already the second-highest ever recorded in 42-year history of the Ebola virus.
• Ebola is back – why can not we still heal? 19659002] On Thursday (29), the WHO reported that 426 probable or confirmed ebola cases had been registered in the DRC since July, and that 245 confirmed or probable deaths were due to the disease. Most cases were detected in North Kivu province, beyond eastern DRC, but 19 cases were also confirmed in the province of Ituri, north of the north. Kivu.
This second outbreak is far from the record of the Ebola outbreak that occurred between 2014 and 2014. and 2016. At the time, nearly 30,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths were recorded, mainly in West Africa. But the situation may worsen.
Although there was a decrease in the number of cases in September, which suggests that the epidemic was under control, a second wave has occurred since October, with no end or control . And suspect cases have been reported in other parts of the DRC, as well as in neighboring countries such as Uganda. In September, the WHO said the risk of spreading Ebola in Uganda was "too high"
. Ebola is spread by direct contact with body fluids such as blood or sperm. And many of its symptoms, including bleeding and vomiting, allow the disease to spread. But external factors made it difficult to fight this particular epidemic.
Armed conflict in the region between the government and rebel militias made it difficult to track the chains of transmission, as well as problems sending drugs and doctors to need areas. Residents sometimes resist the efforts of some medical teams to collect and bury the deceased's bodies safely to avoid further contamination – there is a risk that people will contract the virus by handling the deadly victims of the disease, such as indicated by
An experimental vaccine has shown promising results during limited trials during the 2015 epidemic and has been shown to be effective in the prevention of tuberculosis. Time
. data on residents and health professionals who may have come into contact with infected persons – some Ugandan health professionals also took the vaccine, as reported in Reuters . The WHO announced earlier this week the launch of randomized clinical trials on several experimental drugs at the same time.
Patients will receive one of four drugs that have shown some success in treating the disease in addition to standard treatment. The idea of the test is to try to confirm the safety and efficacy of each drug, without depriving patients of a potentially effective drug. By establishing a test protocol, the WHO also expects these effective drugs to be sent much more quickly to the needy.
"Patients have so far been treated according to a protocol of compbadionate use, with drugs that have shown promise and have a good safety profile in laboratory conditions," he said. Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus, Director of WHO, in a statement. "The giant step taken by the DRC will clarify what works best and save many lives in the coming years, and we hope that one day we will be able to talk about the fact that the death and suffering caused by the Ebola are now a thing of the past. "
Despite this optimism, another group was left out to contain this epidemic: US government scientists
In October, the US Department of State The United States has confirmed that it has alienated health professionals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the affected areas of the DRC. The government cited security reasons in addition to armed violence in the region to justify its decision, but Ebola experts criticized the measure. Just this week, editorials from two public health journals – Jama and the New England Journal of Medicine – have urged the US government to send more resources to the DRC to help contain the epidemic, including more people.
"worsening epidemics, we believe it is critical that these safety concerns be addressed and that the CDC team return to the region," said the authors of the New England Journal of Medicine editorial ( NEJM)
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