Following the official declaration of an Ebola outbreak by the Ministry of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on May 15, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is preparing to rapidly scale up its medical response in Ituri province, in the country’s northeast. The World Health Organization has declared this a public health emergency of international concern.
On May 9 and 10, MSF received alerts of an increased number of deaths from a suspected viral hemorrhagic fever in Mongwalu health zone, an area northwest of Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, a team went to assess the situation and found that 55 people had died since the beginning of April. MSF also received subsequent reports that people with suspected cases had been identified in Bunia and Rwampara health zones.
According to Congolese authorities, a total of 246 people with suspected cases and more than 80 deaths have been reported across the three health zones.
This outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that causes the Ebola disease. Bundibugyo is distinct from the more common Zaire virus in that there is no approved vaccine, and no approved treatment.
On May 15, health authorities in neighboring Uganda also confirmed one case of the Bundibugyo virus in a 59-year-old Congolese man who died on May 14. MSF has informed the Ugandan Ministry of Health that it is ready to support the public health authorities’ response.
“The number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short timeframe, combined with the spread across several health zones and now across the border, is extremely concerning,” says Trish Newport, MSF emergency program manager. “In Ituri, many people already struggle to access health care and live with ongoing insecurity, making rapid action critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating further.”
MSF currently has teams in the affected areas of Ituri to assess medical needs, and is coordinating closely with the Congolese health authorities. At MSF’s Salama clinic in Bunia, we have three patients with suspected cases, who have now been isolated.
Right now, MSF is mobilizing more teams comprising medical, logistical, and support staff experienced in responding to viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, as well as essential supplies, to launch a large-scale response as quickly as possible. MSF will also work to ensure strict prevention measures are in place in its existing projects in order to protect our staff, our patients, and their access to health care.
The estimated fatality rate of the Bundibugyo virus is between 25 and 40 percent. This is the third detected outbreak involving this virus, following outbreaks in Uganda in 2007-2008 and in DRC in 2012.
Ebola is an infectious viral hemorrhagic fever, transmitted to humans through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected animals. Human-to-human transmission occurs through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected people.
MSF has responded to multiple Ebola outbreaks in DRC over the past years. This outbreak marks the country’s 17th since the first case was discovered in 1976.
