Kinshasa (GNP): Ebola infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have rebounded after a brief decline, and the virus is now spreading to other African countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in its latest situation report on Wednesday.
The outbreak has already claimed more than 4,600 lives. As of October 19, the DRC had recorded 9,637 confirmed cases and 4,646 deaths across eight of its 26 provinces.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa said the recent numbers point to renewed intensification of transmission. Between September 29 and October 19, the DRC recorded 1,466 confirmed cases, up 10.4 per cent from the preceding 21-day period. Confirmed deaths rose 7.5 per cent over the same comparison to reach 692.
At the same time, the outbreak is no longer confined to one country. Kenya has reported nine confirmed cases, including one death. All eight secondary infections there are linked to an imported case and were detected among people already under quarantine.
Nigeria then confirmed its first Ebola case on Tuesday, involving a woman who had travelled from Uganda earlier this month. Following reports that she had transited through Entebbe International Airport in early October, Uganda stepped up Ebola screening at the facility.
These cases deepen a concern the WHO has raised about detection. It warned that the long gap between symptom onset and laboratory confirmation could allow undetected exposures and secondary transmission.
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The wider picture was set out by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday. It said this has become the most geographically widespread Ebola epidemic on record, with infections reported across Central, Eastern and Western Africa. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya called for greater global solidarity and international support to stop further transmission.
Conditions inside the DRC make that task harder. The WHO said escalating insecurity, population displacement and restricted humanitarian access are challenging response operations and raising the risk of undetected transmission. It described the outbreak as being at a critical juncture.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa said, “The most recent seven-day moving average indicates a modest upward trend.”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
