Another Ebola epidemic in Congo - big vaccination campaign starts

No rest from Ebola: Aggressive measures against aggressive viruses

It was barely a week after the all-clear when the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government announced on August 1, 2018, that preliminary lab results point to another Ebola outbreak - this time in the province of North Kivu. Shortly before that, the Minister of Health had just declared the outbreak in the province of Equateur in the far west of the country defeated. Now, the DRC's Ministry of Health announced the launch of Ebola vaccines for high-risk populations in North Kivu.

As the DRC's Ministry of Health told the World Health Organization (WHO), 44 cases have already been reported. In at least 17 cases, the Ebola virus was detected by laboratory samples from North Kivu. The province of North Kivu is located about 2500 km from Equateur Province, where recently the last eruption took place. "Ebola is a constant threat in the Democratic Republic of Congo," reports Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General in a press release on the renewed outbreak.

Too early to think: New Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo put emergency forces on alert. The outbreak is now to be contained with a large vaccination campaign. (Image: Lukas Gojda / fotolia.com)

Battle won - but the war is not over yet

"In close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and its partners, we will fight this again, as we did last time," said the Director-General. In particular, he praises the transparency of the Health Department of the DRC to the WHO and the strong responsiveness of the country.

Forces and equipment still on site

"Since the last Ebola outbreak, we have kept staff and equipment ready," explains Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. This would give the forces a head start compared to the last outbreak. At the last outbreak, the danger zone was in a very difficult to access area. This time, the WHO is facing new problems: "The new outbreak is in the middle of an active conflict zone", explains dr. Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response. Over a million refugees live there, Salama continued.

spread risk

Further spread risks are the brisk trade activities with the neighboring countries Rwanda and Uganda, at the borders of which a large number of persons move. WHO is also working with neighboring countries to ensure that health authorities are alerted and ready to respond to an outbreak.

Big vaccination campaign starts

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Health Ministry announced on 8 August 2018 the launch of Ebola vaccines for high-risk populations in North Kivu province. The Provincial Minister of Health and the coordinator of the extended immunization program were the first to be vaccinated. They were followed by health workers who were in direct contact with people confirmed Ebola cases.

Vaccine as an important weapon against Ebola

There are currently around 3,200 doses of the Ebola vaccine available in the country. Although the approval process is still ongoing, additional doses have already been requested "Vaccines are an important tool in the fight against Ebola," said the Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Oly Ilunga, in a WHO press release on the vaccination campaign.

Fight fire with fire

"Ebola is aggressive, we need to be more aggressive," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Democratic Republic of the Congo once again demonstrated strong leadership in the eruption. It is a very important step to start the vaccinations as soon as possible.

WHO provides logistical support

The WHO supports the vaccination campaign, especially in logistics. For example, the organization secures the cold chain of the vaccine, sends needed supplies, negotiates protocols with the manufacturer and national authorities, and employs vaccine specialists in the field.

What are the health risks of Ebola?

Ebola is a dangerous infectious disease that causes, among other things, internal bleeding and often fatal. Even the contact with small amounts of body fluid is sufficient to spread the virus. After an infection, flu-like symptoms such as limb pain, headache, sore throat and high fever first appear. As the disease progresses, symptoms such as massive diarrhea, nausea and vomiting are added. In the high phase of the disease it comes to the typical Ebola symptoms, the internal bleeding, which are triggered by the so-called hemorrhagic fever. It can also cause liver and kidney dysfunction with edema, shock and circulatory collapse, cramping and paralysis. When bleeding occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and lungs, the disease often ends in death. (Vb)