Africa-Press. An official from a health organization stated that it is still possible to control the outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has surpassed containment efforts and has become the deadliest outbreak of the virus in history.
Earlier this month, the health organization indicated that reversing the spread of the Ebola virus could be possible within three months. However, since then, signs of worsening conditions have emerged, as the outbreak has extended to a sixth province.
Thierno Balde, the incident management director at the health organization, told reporters in Geneva from the city of Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Regarding the next plan for the coming three months, yes, if the necessary resources are available, I believe it will be possible to implement it.”
This outbreak, the worst in Congo to date among 17 outbreaks, has claimed the lives of at least 2,325 people. Currently, resources are below needs, and the health organization has raised about 60% of the $115 million it is seeking to combat Ebola.
Other challenges include delayed detection, fatigue among monitoring teams, armed conflicts, and a shortage of vaccines and treatments for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
However, containment efforts are increasing, with an additional 400 beds added over the past two weeks, and more epidemiologists will be deployed to track patient contacts, Balde stated. He told reporters: “The situation is extremely difficult, but people are working here day and night in an attempt to control this outbreak.”
Other senior officials reported that controlling the outbreak is still far from being achieved, noting that between 70% and 80% of new cases have no known link to previous patients, indicating that the virus continues to spread unchecked in many areas.
Dr. Wissam Mankoula, head of the emergency preparedness and response department at the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated: “We are still far from grasping the scale of this outbreak.” He added: “It will not end in a few weeks or even months.”
The emergency committee of the health organization met on Tuesday to discuss Ebola, which the United Nations agency declared on May 17 a public health emergency of international concern. The committee will decide whether to extend the emergency status and will provide recommendations to countries regarding controlling its spread.
