The World Health Organization (WHO) says the Ebola virus may be spreading faster than originally thought and has since declared a public health emergency of international concern.
On Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is expected to travel to DR Congo, said the Ebola outbreak is outpacing urgent efforts to scale up a response, adding that responders were “playing catch-up.”
Ebola has also been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) North and South Kivu provinces, as well as in neighbouring Uganda, where there have been confirmed cases.
The Ebola outbreak is spreading rapidly, with more than 900 suspected cases and over 200 suspected deaths, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO have warned.
Addressing a high-level virtual ministerial meeting, Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said that since the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on 15 May, a total of 906 suspected cases and 204 probable deaths have been recorded. A total of 106 cases have been laboratory-confirmed across the two affected countries, including five in Uganda, all linked to imported cases from the DRC, he said.
“The numbers are changing on a daily basis. This is too much. We cannot afford to have more Africans dying, and we are still at the peak of this outbreak.”
Speaking during the same meeting, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf warned that the outbreak poses a serious threat to the continent’s stability and health systems.
“This epidemic reveals to us a fundamental truth. Health security is now a matter of sovereignty, economic stability, and continental peace and security,” Youssouf said.
He said Africa could no longer afford to remain vulnerable to repeated health crises and criticized the slow global response to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
“It is unacceptable that 19 years after the identification of the Ebola-Bundibugyo virus, the world still does not have an approved vaccine or a specific treatment against this strain,” he said.
According to the AU chairperson, the outbreak currently affects the DRC and Uganda and carries “a high risk of regional expansion.”
He praised the Africa CDC and the governments of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan for jointly finalizing a US$319 million response plan aimed at containing the outbreak.
“This gesture concretely translates the principle according to which African problems require African leadership and African responsibility,” he said.
Namibia
Meanwhile, Namibia’s health ministry has moved to reassure the public that no Ebola cases have been recorded in the country despite the growing outbreak in the region.
In a public health update issued on Friday, the ministry confirmed that there were “no confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola in Namibia.”
However, the ministry said the country had heightened its state of preparedness and vigilance to reduce the risk of possible importation of the virus.
“To ensure the continued safety of the Namibian people, the ministry is currently implementing heightened surveillance, particularly at all points of entry, as well as refresher trainings for frontline health workers,” the statement said.
The ministry added that the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has raised international concern because there is currently no licensed vaccine or approved treatment specifically targeting the strain.
The ministry also warned that symptoms of the disease may initially resemble common illnesses such as malaria or typhoid, making early detection difficult.
Namibians were urged to avoid non-essential travel to affected provinces in the DRC and Uganda, practice good hygiene, and immediately seek medical attention if they experience symptoms after traveling.
This is why the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS IV), which was expected to bring together leaders from across Africa, including Namibia, has since been placed on hold.
In a joint media release, the African Union (AU) and the Government of India announced that the summit, which had been scheduled to take place in New Delhi from Friday to Sunday, would now be held later following consultations over the emerging public health crisis.
The summit is regarded as one of the most important diplomatic and economic gatherings between Africa and India, with African heads of state, ministers, business leaders, and regional institutions expected to attend.
India and the AU said the decision was taken after discussions involving the Government of India, the Chairperson of the African Union, and the African Union Commission.
-Additional information adopted from Reuters.