East African countries are on high alert after health authorities in the DRC on Tuesday declared a resurgence of Ebola, following confirmation of one case in the eastern province of North Kivu.
A 46-year-old woman died on August 15 in Beni, a town in North Kivu. She received care at the Beni Referral Hospital, initially for other ailments, but subsequently, exhibited symptoms consistent with Ebola virus disease.
Both the Beni and Goma branches of the DR Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed Ebola virus in samples taken from the patient.
Analyses showed that the case was genetically linked to the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces—the country’s longest and largest.
Last week, Kenya said it had put health officials at the border on high alert, while Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania made a similar announcement on Tuesday.
In March DR Congo was admitted to the EAC during the virtual 19th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State that was chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This means there is now free movement of the country’s citizens into other East African countries.
“Ebola resurgences are occurring with greater frequency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is concerning. However, health authorities in North Kivu have successfully stopped several Ebola flare-ups and building on this expertise will no doubt bring this one under control quickly,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization regional director for Africa.
WHO staff and health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo working to stem the spread of the disease, having identified 160 contacts whose health is being closely monitored. Investigations are ongoing to determine the vaccination status of the confirmed case.
There are 1,000 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccines available in the country’s stockpile, 200 of which will be sent to Beni this week. Ring-vaccination—where contacts and contacts of contacts are vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus and protect lives—is expected to begin shortly.
The last flare-up in North Kivu’s Beni health zone was brought under control in about two months, ending on December 16, 2021. There were 11 cases (eight confirmed, three probable), including six deaths.
Last week, the WHO also published its first guideline for Ebola virus disease therapeutics, with new strong recommendations for the use of two monoclonal antibodies.
Ebola is a severe and too often fatal illness caused by the Ebola virus. Previous Ebola outbreaks and responses have shown that early diagnosis and treatment with optimised supportive care —with fluid and electrolyte repletion and treatment of symptoms—significantly improve survival.
Now, following a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials of therapeutics for the disease, WHO has made strong recommendations for two monoclonal antibody treatments: mAb114 (Ansuvimab; Ebanga) and REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb).
Developed according to WHO standards and methods for guidelines, and published simultaneously in English and French, the guidelines will support health care providers caring for patients with Ebola, and policymakers involved in outbreak preparedness and response.
The clinical trials were conducted during Ebola outbreaks, with the largest trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, demonstrating that the highest level of scientific rigour can be applied even during Ebola outbreaks in difficult contexts.
“This therapeutic guide is a critical tool to fight Ebola,” Dr Richard Kojansaid. He is , co-chair of the Guideline Development Group of experts selected by WHO and President of ALIMA, The Alliance for International Medical Action.
(Edited by V. Graham
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