WHO warns Bundibugyo Ebola spreading

The World Health Organization used its Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly this week to press governments on outbreak readiness as Bundibugyo Ebola spreads in Central Africa and hantavirus cases continue to test public-health systems. WHO said the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared an Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus on May 15, and Uganda confirmed an imported case from DRC the same day. The agency said there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic for Bundibugyo virus, leaving supportive care as the main medical response. Helen Clark, the former New Zealand prime minister and co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said the outbreaks showed the world was still not fully prepared for the next pandemic. ### Where is the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak now? The Democratic Republic of the Congo declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15 after laboratory analysis confirmed Bundibugyo virus in samples from Rwampara Health Zone in Ituri Province, WHO said. Uganda’s health ministry confirmed an outbreak linked to one imported case from DRC after a Congolese man died in Kampala, according to WHO’s disease-outbreak notice. (who.int) WHO’s Africa office said the outbreak in DRC is centered in the country’s northeast and involves cross-border spread to Uganda. The agency said the WHO director-general determined on May 17 that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. ### Why are officials focusing on this strain? WHO said Bundibugyo virus is a species of Ebola for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic. (who.int) The agency said early supportive care is lifesaving, but the absence of approved countermeasures distinguishes this outbreak from responses to Zaire ebolavirus, where vaccines and treatments are available. The BMJ reported on May 18 that health officials had identified hundreds of suspected cases across DRC and Uganda and more than 100 deaths. (afro.who.int) Infection Control Today and the International Rescue Committee also said the lack of an approved vaccine or targeted treatment has raised concern among hospitals and humanitarian responders confronting a high-consequence infectious disease event. ### What did WHO figures and Helen Clark say in Geneva? (who.int) Helen Clark said this week that Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks showed the world’s risk preparedness was still lagging, according to reports from Geneva during the assembly. Clark said health systems that do not manage known endemic threats will be less able to detect and contain novel pathogens. (bmj.com) The United Nations’ news service reported on May 18 that the World Health Assembly opened under the shadow of Ebola, hantavirus and funding cuts. WHO’s daily assembly update for May 21 said member states were continuing discussions on preparedness, the International Health Regulations and the WHO Pandemic Agreement. ### What are hospitals and responders being asked to do without a vaccine? WHO said early case detection, supportive care, infection prevention and control, surveillance and cross-border coordination are central to the response. (firstpost.com) UN News reported that WHO was sending more testing kits to eastern DRC as officials worked to identify infections and trace the spread of the virus. (news.un.org) NETEC, a U.S.-based special pathogens network, said on May 18 that healthcare professionals should review isolation capacity, personal protective equipment procedures, laboratory handling and transport planning. Those steps are not a substitute for a vaccine, but they are the measures currently available to health systems dealing with Bundibugyo virus. (who.int) ### What happens next at the World Health Assembly? The Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly is scheduled to run through May 27 in Geneva, according to WHO’s assembly page. The agenda includes public-health emergencies, implementation of the International Health Regulations and work on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. WHO’s outbreak pages for DRC and Uganda are expected to carry the next official epidemiological updates, while member states in Geneva continue negotiations on preparedness and response measures through the close of the assembly next week. (netec.org) (who.int) (apps.who.int)