Ebola outbreak follows hunger and displacement crisis in DR Congo

“The world is not safer from pandemics”, said experts from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) on Monday, who underscored how the world’s vulnerability was exposed by an Ebola outbreak a decade ago and then by the “global catastrophe” of COVID-19.

“As infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging, with widening health, economic, political and social impacts, and less capacity to recover from them,” the experts said, in a new report. 

Ebola update

Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.

As of Saturday 16 May, health authorities had recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri province in eastern DRC.

On Sunday, unconfirmed reports indicated that an individual had tested positive for Ebola in the rebel-held city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province and home to one million people.

The confirmed case is believed to be the wife of a man who died after contracting Ebola in Bunia, capital of Ituri province. Another individual who had travelled from Bunia to Beni in North Kivu also tested positive for Ebola.

Cases have also been confirmed in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, and across the border in Uganda, where two infected individuals travelled from DRC and were admitted to intensive care. The Ugandan capital, Kampala, is also impacted, WHO said.

The agency is supporting the Government-led response with 42 health professionals on the ground and supplies already deployed.

The agency has warned that the outbreak is likely larger than currently detected, pointing to clusters of unexplained deaths, a high positivity rate among tested samples and limited understanding of transmission patterns. At least four deaths among healthcare workers have raised concerns over infection prevention measures in health facilities. 

In a statement, the UN agency noted that there is no approved therapy or vaccine to treat the Bundibugyo virus which is responsible for the current outbreak. 

“The ongoing insecurity, humanitarian crisis, high population mobility, the urban or semi-urban nature of the current hotspot and the large network of informal healthcare facilities further compound the risk of spread, as was witnessed during the large Ebola virus disease epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in 2018-19,” WHO said.

‘We know how to control Ebola’

“Ebola is a very serious disease, but it is one that we know how to control,” Mohamed Janabi, WHO’s Director for Africa, told UN News.

Dr. Janabi, a cardiologist, explained that the UN health agency has classified it as a public health emergency of international concern, which helps to bring international attention, mobilize resources more quickly and ensure countries work together in a coordinated way. 

“But it does not mean people should panic. It means the global system is working as it should be, detecting and responding very decisively,” he added, calling on the media to disseminate correct information

“Fear by itself is an outbreak,” he concluded. 

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Janabi: 

AI boon or bust

Highlighting the potential for AI to improve preparedness and monitor pandemic threats, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) emphasized that without effective governance and safeguards, technological innovations could actually reduce health security and widen the healthcare access gaps that defined COVID-19.

The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) is an independent monitoring and accountability body established in 2018 by WHO and the World Bank – formally a specialized UN agency – to strengthen preparedness for global health crises. 

The board highlights that that national leadership will be tested this year as governments work to finalize the WHO Pandemic Agreement – and work to agree “a meaningful UN political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”.