Ebola emergency
In Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are mobilizing to help contain the sudden surge in Ebola disease cases.
So far, there are more than 900 suspected cases and 223 deaths reported in DRC, with nine cases reported across the border in Uganda. The outbreak’s epicentre is in DRC’s eastern province of Ituri.
Unlike most previous Ebola disease outbreaks, this one is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. It kills up to 40 per cent of people infected, making it less lethal than the more common Ebola virus.
However, there is no approved vaccine and no approved treatment, so responding to this virus is particularly challenging.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared the situation a “public health emergency of international concern.”
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GIVE NOWThe latest: How is MSF responding to the Ebola disease outbreak?
MSF teams are often among the first humanitarian responders for one key reason: because we are already there. MSF has been working in DRC since 1977, providing vital healthcare services through conflict, disaster and disease.
Right now, we have hundreds of staff responding to the outbreak in eastern DRC.
- On May 9, MSF received alerts of deaths from a ‘suspected viral hemorrhagic fever’ spreading since the start of April. We sent a team to investigate with the Ministry of Health. We have since identified suspected cases in several cities and established temporary isolation units for affected patients.
- Our medical and logistics teams have already been working around the clock to prepare a large-scale emergency response in DRC, in collaboration with Congolese health authorities
- Essential medical supplies and equipment are en route to affected areas from the capital Kinshasa, as well as Uganda and Europe. A total of 3,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) — such as gloves, masks, goggles, gowns and protective boots — arrived in Bunia on May 19. Another 60,000 sets of PPE are due to arrive soon.
- MSF staff with experience responding to Ebola disease outbreaks are being sent to DRC to establish the emergency response. They will provide support to existing medical projects and respond to new alerts in surrounding areas. In Goma, MSF will set up and run a specialist Ebola treatment centre if needed.
- We will work to ensure strict infection prevention measures are in place for healthcare projects and facilities in DRC. We must protect patients and staff and ensure they can continue to access medical services.
- MSF’s Ebola responses are based on six pillars:
- caring for and isolating patients;
- tracing and follow-up of patient contacts;
- raising community awareness of the disease (such as how to prevent it and where to seek care);
- conducting safe burials;
- proactively detecting new cases;
- and supporting existing health facilities.
What is Ebola disease?
Ebola is a rare but deadly disease which can kill up to 90 per cent of those infected.
The most commonly known viruses within the Ebola disease genus are the Ebola virus, the Sudan virus and the Bundibugyo virus. There is an approved treatment and a preventive vaccine for the Ebola virus. But the current Ebola disease outbreak reported in DRC is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
It can be difficult to diagnose because the early symptoms, like a fever and sore throat, are common. To confirm an Ebola disease diagnosis, special tests need to be carried out. These require test kits specific not to the disease itself, but to each individual virus in order to detect it. However, these test kits are currently in short supply for the Bundibugyo virus, which significantly slows down case confirmation and, consequently, the implementation of contact tracing and patient isolation.
Ebola disease is highly infectious and can be transmitted from both animals and humans. Human-to-human transmission happens through close contact with blood, secretions or other bodily fluids of infected individuals. This is why people have to wear full personal protective equipment to prevent catching or spreading the virus.
Medical teams can give patients the best chance of survival by helping to manage the symptoms of the virus and treating other diseases the patient may have.
Once a patient recovers from Ebola disease, they’re immune to the form of the virus they contracted.
MSF’S response to Ebola in the West Africa
Between late 2013 and 2016, an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa became a major international emergency. The severity of the epidemic saw MSF launch one of the largest emergency operations in our history.
MSF responded in the three most affected countries — Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia — and also to the spread of cases to Nigeria, Senegal and Mali.
At the peak of the epidemic, MSF employed nearly 4,000 local medical staff and more than 325 international staff who ran Ebola treatment centres, as well as conducted surveillance, contact tracing, health promotion and provided psychological support.
MSF admitted 10,310 patients to our Ebola management centres, of which 5,201 were confirmed Ebola cases, representing one-third of all WHO-confirmed cases.
