Healthcare workers are preparing to vaccinate people for Ebola suspicion to take precautionary measures against the disease in Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo, on 27 July 2019.
JC Wenga | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The World Health Organization warned on Monday of a possible revival of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a woman died of the disease.
The woman lived in Butembo, a city in North Kivu province, and an epicenter of a previous Ebola outbreak declared in June, according to the DRC’s Ministry of Health.
More than 70 people who came into direct contact with the woman while she was contagious have already been identified, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday during a news conference at the Geneva headquarters.
“So far no other cases have been identified,” Tedros said. “But it is possible that there will be further cases because the woman had contact with many people after she became symptomatic.”
Unlike the highly contagious coronavirus, which can be spread by people who have no symptoms, Ebola is thought to be spread mainly by people who are already visibly ill. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of people who are sick or have died from the disease.
The virus can also be spread through the semen of men who have recovered from the disease, the CDC says. The WHO said the woman who recently died in Butembo was married to a survivor of Ebola.
According to the WHO, Ebola has an average mortality rate of 50%, although it can vary according to outbreak.
The DRC’s national institute for biomedical research is tracking samples of the virus in its main laboratory in Kinshasa, the country’s capital, to determine whether the woman’s recent death was associated with the previous Butembo outbreak, the WHO said. said.
The Ebola outbreak declared in June lasted nearly two years. It was the second largest in the world and by its end, according to the WHO, there were 3 481 cases and 2 299 deaths.
The WHO noted that attempts to erupt reactions in North Kivu province were particularly difficult due to ongoing violent conflicts in the area, which is occupied by more than 100 different armed groups, according to Human Rights Watch.
The WHO has sent a rapid response team to Butembo, Tedros added, and the doses of vaccines are on the way. The WHO says there are currently two licensed Ebola vaccines. Tedros did not say what was on its way to the area.
“Thanks to the enormous capacity built up during the recent outbreak, provincial health authorities have significant experience in responding to Ebola and in preventing ongoing transmission,” Tedros said on Monday. “We hope vaccination will start as soon as possible.”