WHO chief Tedros visits Uganda as DRC Ebola outbreak spreads in Ituri

WHO chief Tedros visits Uganda as DRC Ebola outbreak spreads in Ituri

For all the News from Mashonaland Central, Join One of Our Groups

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Uganda on Monday and commended the country’s response to the Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Ituri province remains the epicentre.

The WHO declared a public health emergency over the outbreak, which was announced on May 15 in north-eastern DRC. Tedros visited the DRC last week, including the gold mining hub in Ituri province, which has been at the centre of the latest Ebola infections.

In remarks during his Uganda visit, Tedros said border screening and public health systems had helped detect imported cases and limit transmission. “I am in Uganda, where the government has mounted a prompt and capable response to the outbreak of Ebola,” he wrote.

“Screening at the borders helped detect cases arriving from neighboring DRC, and the country’s surveillance, testing and case management systems are doing steady work,” he said.

Tedros said Uganda had recorded 19 confirmed cases, including 14 among people who entered from the DRC and five Ugandan nationals. He said two people had died and offered condolences, adding that the WHO would continue to support Uganda together with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

To Advertise Inbox Us

Asked about Uganda’s decision in late May to close its border with the DRC, Tedros said broad travel restrictions were not effective and indicated he hoped authorities would reconsider.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health permanent secretary, Dr Diana Atwine, said Tedros’s visit was aimed at assessing readiness and supporting cross-border coordination. “He is in the country to assess Uganda’s readiness to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak and to support efforts aimed at strengthening cross-border coordination to prevent further exportation of Ebola cases from Congo and to bring the outbreak to an end,” she said.

On Monday, Africa CDC issued updated laboratory-confirmed figures for the outbreak, saying there had been 544 confirmed Ebola cases and 88 deaths. It said 515 of the confirmed cases were from Ituri province, noting that these figures differed slightly from those released earlier by the DRC.

The outbreak is the 17th in the DRC since 1976 and involves the Bundibugyo species of ebolavirus, for which there is no recognised vaccine, according to the report. While this complicates prevention and treatment, the available numbers suggest a fatality rate of under 20% among confirmed cases, lower than rates seen in some earlier outbreaks.

The WHO and Africa CDC have launched a six-month plan to combat the outbreak, estimated at US$518 million.

Separately, a US doctor who contracted Ebola while working as a medical missionary in the DRC was discharged from Berlin’s Charité Hospital over the weekend, along with his family. Charité said no virus had been detected in the patient since May 30 after he was admitted on May 20, and said his symptoms subsided significantly following combined antiviral therapy and supportive care. The five family members were quarantined as high-risk contacts, but none developed symptoms, the hospital said.

Zimbabwean health authorities routinely monitor regional outbreaks, and public health experts advise travellers to follow official guidance on cross-border health screening and hygiene measures.

Follow Our WhatsApp Channel for all the News from Mashonaland Central – Bindura, Mbire, Guruve, Mount Darwin, Rushinga, Shamva, Mazowe & Muzarabani