Ebola epidemic in Congo is second largest in its history, says WHO

JOHANNESBURG – The deadly Ebola epidemic in Congo is second in size behind the devastating epidemic in West Africa that killed thousands of people a few years ago, the World Health Organization said Thursday. Health.

Dr Peter Salama, WHO's chief of emergency, described the situation as a "grim record", as the Congolese Ministry of Health announced that the number of cases reached 426. This includes 379 confirmed and 47 probable cases. To date, the epidemic declared on August 1 recorded 198 confirmed deaths and 47 other probable, announced the Congolese Ministry of Health.

The attacks by rebel groups and the open hostility of some concerned locals have posed serious problems for health workers that Ebola experts say have never seen before. Many are venturing into critical virus containment missions only accompanied by US peacekeepers in areas where gunshots are fired daily.

Salama predicted this month that the epidemic in northeastern Congo will last at least another six months before it can be controlled. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people between 2014 and 2016.

Day after day, health organizations report a new challenge in this new epidemic, even as their work sets milestones that have given hope to the fight against one of the world's most notorious diseases.

More than 37,000 people have been vaccinated against the Ebola virus and the Congo has launched the first ever trial to test the efficacy and safety of four experimental Ebola drugs. And yet, the risk of spreading Ebola in so-called "red" areas, areas virtually inaccessible due to the threat of rebel groups, is a major concern to contain this outbreak.

"This tragic step clearly demonstrates the complexity and severity of the epidemic. Although the figures are far from those of West Africa in 2014, we can see how much conflict dynamics pose a different kind of threat, "said Michelle Gayer, Senior Director of Emergency Health Care. to the International Rescue Committee.

A major concern for health staff, many new cases have been disconnected from known infections as insecurity complicates efforts to track the contacts of people with the disease.

The alarming number of newborns infected during this outbreak is another concern, which until now remains a mystery. The WHO said in a separate statement Thursday that up to now 36 cases of Ebola had been reported in newborns and children under 2 years old.

As the need for help to contain the epidemic grows, two of the world's leading medical journals have released statements this week by world health experts urging the Trump administration to do more.

In the Journal of the American Medical Association, a group noted that the US government ordered a few weeks ago all staff of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – "some of the most experienced epidemiology experts to the world "- to leave the Congo epidemic zone for security reasons.

A separate statement in the New England Journal of Medicine said: "In view of the worsening of the outbreak, we believe that it is essential to address these safety concerns and to ensure that CDC staff return to the field ".

This is the first time that this turbulent part of northeastern Congo is affected by an Ebola outbreak. The Congolese Ministry of Health has published vivid accounts of rumor-motivated residents attempting to end safe burial practices that prevent the spread of Ebola from victims to their relatives and friends.

On Thursday, the ministry announced that a group of young people had entered a morgue, stole the body of an Ebola victim and handed it over to their family.

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