WHO upgrades Congo Ebola risk

The World Health Organization has raised the risk level for the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as health officials confront a fast-moving event tied to the Bundibugyo species of the virus. WHO said the outbreak in Congo and neighboring Uganda was serious enough for Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. WHO’s outbreak page says the virus involved has no licensed vaccine or specific treatment, though candidate products are being studied. Local authorities cited in media reports have put the suspected toll in Congo at nearly 750 cases and 177 deaths. ### What exactly did WHO change? WHO said the outbreak risk in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been assessed at the highest level for the country as transmission spread across affected areas. In a May 17 statement, the agency said that as of May 16, Congo had reported eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province across at least three health zones. Tedros said on May 17 that the event in Congo and Uganda constituted a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations. WHO said the declaration was based on the risk to human health, the risk of international spread and the possibility of interference with international traffic. (who.int) ### Where is the outbreak centered? Ituri Province in northeastern Congo is the center of the outbreak identified by WHO. The agency said it was first alerted on May 5 to a high-mortality outbreak of unknown illness in Mongbwalu Health Zone, including deaths among health workers, and laboratory analysis in Kinshasa confirmed Bundibugyo virus on May 14. Uganda has also reported cases linked to travelers from Congo. (who.int) WHO said two laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, were reported in Kampala on May 15 and May 16 among two people traveling from Congo, with no apparent link to each other. ### Why are officials focused on the Bundibugyo strain? (who.int) WHO said the outbreak involves Bundibugyo virus, one of the species that causes Ebola disease. The agency’s outbreak page says there is no vaccine or specific treatment licensed for that species, although work is under way to test promising candidates. WHO’s Disease Outbreak News notice said the event is unfolding in a difficult setting that includes insecurity, humanitarian pressures, remote areas and dense population centers. (who.int) Those conditions complicate surveillance, patient isolation and contact tracing. ### What are U.S. authorities doing? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on May 18 it worked with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies on enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions and other public-health measures aimed at preventing Ebola from entering the United States. (who.int) CDC said those steps were announced amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa. Washington-Dulles International Airport began enhanced screening for affected travelers at 11:59 p.m. on May 20, according to a CDC release. The agency said DHS issued a Federal Register notice redirecting covered travelers to Dulles for screening and collection of contact information for possible public-health follow-up. (cdc.gov) ### How does this intersect with the World Health Assembly? The Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly has been meeting in Geneva from May 18 through May 23, according to WHO. The organization’s May 22 daily update focused on member-state discussions over reforms to global health architecture and other agenda items, even as the Ebola emergency dominated attention around the meeting. (cdc.gov) WHO’s assembly page says proceedings were scheduled to run through May 23. CDC said its U.S. entry measures remain in effect, and WHO’s emergency pages continue to carry updates on the Congo-Uganda outbreak and related recommendations for countries. (who.int)