No Vaccine or Treatment Available: 139 Dead Already... "The Number Will Rise"

600 Suspected Ebola Cases, 139 Deaths Reported
WHO Declares Public Health Emergency of International Concern
"Not at the Pandemic Stage"

Approximately 600 suspected cases of Ebola infection have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The number of suspected deaths stands at 139. After reviewing the local surveillance system and response efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently expressed concern that “because the virus was detected late, the actual scale of infection could be larger than the official figures.”

According to the BBC on May 20 (local time), WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated at a press conference held at the organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola “appears to have begun spreading about two months ago.”

AP Yonhap News

The WHO declared the current situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17, but clarified that it does not consider the outbreak to have reached pandemic levels.

Director-General Tedros explained that the WHO Emergency Committee, after its meeting the previous day, concluded that the situation does not amount to a pandemic emergency. He added, “WHO assesses the risk of this outbreak as high at the national and regional levels, but low at the global level.”

So far, 51 cases have been officially confirmed in the DRC. The cases have been reported in Ituri province and North Kivu province, which are at the center of the outbreak. The two cases identified in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, were both individuals who had visited the DRC.

Director-General Tedros stated, “We believe the actual scale of the outbreak within the DRC is much larger.”

The first confirmed case was a nurse in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. She developed symptoms on April 24 and subsequently died. Her body was then transported to Mongwalu, a gold mining town where multiple cases have since been reported.

Currently, cases have been confirmed in four areas of Ituri province: Mongwalu, Bunia, Rwampara, and Nyakunde.

In North Kivu province, patients have also been reported in Goma, a rebel-controlled area, and in Butembo, the largest city in the eastern region.

This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC, but it is the first time in over a decade that the Bundibugyo strain has been detected. The Bundibugyo strain had previously caused two outbreaks, during which about one-third of those infected died.

There is currently no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, though experimental vaccines are in development. The WHO noted that the Zaire strain Ebola vaccine, which the DRC has used in previous outbreaks, might offer some protective effect.

However, the BBC reported that “there is no treatment specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain, making care more difficult.” The report also noted that “the eastern region of the DRC has experienced prolonged armed conflict and remains insecure, further complicating efforts to control the outbreak.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.