WHO calls for global action to contain Ebola outbreak

Global health leaders have called for strengthened international cooperation to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and prevent its spread to neighboring countries.

Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed in the deadly outbreak raging in central Africa, a WHO overview showed on Saturday, amid mounting concerns over the swelling scale of the epidemic.

The global appeal for strengthened international cooperation came during a high-level briefing on Friday by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, and the WHO, which warned about the rapid spread of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.

"The outbreak is moving fast and we are still playing catch-up. But my trip to the DRC also gave me real hope that together, under the government's leadership, we can bring this outbreak under control," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

He announced the launch of a joint continental preparedness and response plan by the WHO and Africa CDC aimed at containing the outbreak, supporting affected countries and strengthening preparedness in neighboring states.

The six-month plan, from June, is estimated to cost $518 million and is built around a coordinated approach guided by the principle of "one plan, one budget, one team".

It focuses on emergency coordination, surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, clinical care, community engagement, research, logistics and maintaining essential health services.

"The only way to beat this outbreak is through close partnership, working together under the leadership of the affected countries in one coordinated effort," Tedros said.

Africa CDC said a range of emergency measures have already been implemented, including high-level political engagement with heads of state and ministers, deployment of multidisciplinary response teams, expansion of laboratory capacity and delivery of more than 200 metric tons of medical supplies by international partners.

Among other organizations and countries, Africa CDC director-general Jean Kaseya noted that China has joined a growing list of international partners supporting response efforts, highlighting the importance of global solidarity in tackling public health emergencies.

His announcement came days after a multidisciplinary team of experts in epidemiology, clinical diagnosis and treatment, research and traditional Chinese medicine arrived in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo, for a three-month mission to strengthen Africa's Ebola response capacity.

The outbreak has expanded rapidly from one province and three health zones in eastern DR Congo in mid-May to three provinces and 25 health zones, with confirmed cases reported in Uganda's capital, Kampala.

Ituri Province in DR Congo remains the epicenter, accounting for 90 percent of confirmed infections and 76 percent of deaths, Kaseya stated.

Health authorities warned that the outbreak is already the largest recorded outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, surpassing the previous outbreaks in Uganda in 2007 and the DR Congo in 2012.

They also raised concerns about the lack of licensed vaccines and therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, noting that while several promising candidates are being developed, none have yet been approved for widespread deployment.

Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, said community trust remains central to the success of the response.

"Without community participation, contact tracing falters, safe care is delayed and transmission continues. Misinformation is almost as dangerous as the virus itself and spreads just as fast," he said.

Agencies contributed to this story.

victor@chinadailyafrica.com