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The two soaring Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea require swift action “to avoid catastrophic consequences,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
This is the first official statement from the White House on the re-emergence of Ebola in the two African countries. Psaki said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation in Central and West Africa.
“As the world reeling from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola has once again emerged, simultaneously, in Central and West Africa. The world cannot afford to turn into the next. meaning, ”Psaki said. “We must do everything in our power to respond quickly, effectively and with commensurate resources to stop these epidemics before they turn into large-scale epidemics.”
The World Health Organization announced last week that it had confirmed new cases of Ebola in Butembo, a town in the DRC’s North Kivu province. The city was the epicenter of the world’s second largest Ebola outbreak which was declared over in June. WHO officials said on Friday she was carrying vaccines to the hard-to-reach city and running to contain the highly deadly disease before it spread widely.
In addition, Guinean officials confirmed over the weekend the reappearance of the Ebola virus in N’Zérékore, in southern Guinea. On Sunday, after at least three people and four others were infected with the disease, the West African nation declared an Ebola epidemic. Neighboring countries Sierra Leone and Liberia have put their citizens on high alert.
Unlike the highly infectious coronavirus, which can be spread by people who do not have symptoms, Ebola is believed to be spread primarily through people who are already visibly ill. The virus is spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of people who are sick or have died from the disease, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ebola has an average death rate of 50%, although it can vary depending on the epidemic, according to the WHO.
Psaki said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held talks with ambassadors from Guinea, DRC, Sierra Leone and Liberia on Tuesday “to express the United States’ willingness to work closely together.” with these countries.
“Mr. Sullivan underscored President Biden’s commitment to provide US leadership to strengthen health security and create better systems to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies,” Psaki said. “Epidemics require a rapid and overwhelming response in order to avoid catastrophic consequences.”
The re-emergence of Ebola in Guinea and DRC is of particular concern to global health experts, as these countries are home to the two worst Ebola outbreaks in history. The epidemic in the DRC declared over in June lasted almost two years. It was the second largest in the world and by the time it ended there were 3,481 total cases and 2,299 deaths, according to the WHO.
The infamous Ebola outbreak in West Africa began in Guinea in 2014 before spreading across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the WHO. At the end of 2016, there were more than 28,000 cases, including more than 11,000 deaths, according to the WHO.
“Since the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the United States has worked to scale up and prioritize health security assistance with its partners through the Global Health Security Agenda and with the strong support of Congress, ”Psaki added on Tuesday. “We cannot afford to quit gas – even as we fight COVID, we must ensure the capacity and funding for global health security.”
During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the United States Centers for Disease Control confirmed 11 cases of Ebola in the United States, mostly among medical workers who had traveled to Africa to help in response. Dr Syra Madad, senior director of the system-wide special pathogens program at New York City Health + hospitals, told CNBC on Tuesday that the city is working to ensure its protocols for responding to epidemics are up to date.
“Whenever we see an outbreak declared, at least in New York, we know we are a travel hub, we need to make sure our staff are up to date on PPE and identification skills. these patients, ”she said in a telephone interview. “There is a big rush just to make sure the concept of a plan of operations is dusted off.”
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