Health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are facing an Ebola epidemic centred in the Mongbwalu health zone of Ituri province. Ruben Dedja, chief medical officer of the Mongbwalu zone, described the situation as "truly alarming" and said rapid intervention kits were not yet available at the health zone level; staff were told the kits were "on their way" while medics continue to work with limited equipment.
The World Health Organization announced the outbreak on 15 May and declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern two days later. In an update on 22 May, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said suspected cases were close to 750 with 177 suspected deaths, and that the national risk level had risen from "high" to "very high". He assessed regional risk as high but global risk as low.
WHO has shipped 18 tonnes of emergency supplies to the DRC, deployed 20 experts and set up mobile laboratories. The response supports surveillance, lab testing, contact tracing and case management, and it engages neighbouring countries on preparedness. Locals reported gaps in care: one man said he lost his 16-year-old daughter and his family had not been told if they were infected or quarantined. Mulangu Sabue noted the index case was reported on 24 April and that almost three weeks later there were already more than 300 infected cases and more than 90 deaths.
The outbreak has spread to Uganda, where two confirmed cases were linked to travel from the DRC and one person died. Tedros said intensive contact tracing in Uganda, the postponement of a large religious pilgrimage and the cancellation of a national commemoration appear to have helped keep the situation stable. Doctors and public health experts have called for stronger health systems, strict infection control in hospitals, psychological support and better equipment for healthcare workers fighting the epidemic.
Difficult words
- epidemic — rapid spread of a disease in a region
- rapid intervention kit — ready medical supplies for immediate emergency responserapid intervention kits
- suspected — thought to possibly be true but not confirmed
- surveillance — systematic observation to find and monitor disease
- contact tracing — finding and following people exposed to an infected person
- index case — first identified patient in an outbreak
- quarantine — to separate people to stop disease spreadquarantined
- deploy — to send people or equipment to a placedeployed
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What are the main challenges for health workers described in the article, and how could these be addressed?
- How can measures like contact tracing and postponing large events reduce spread during an outbreak?
- Do you think international support from organisations like WHO is sufficient in this situation? Why or why not?
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