The World Health Organisation has delivered 12 tonnes of emergency medical supplies and equipment to support the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This was disclosed by the WHO Regional Office for Africa in a post on X on Sunday.
It said, “Today, @WHO shipped 12 tonnes of emergency medical supplies and equipment from its Emergency Response and Preparedness hub in #Nairobi to support the #DRC Ebola outbreak response.
“The consignment includes personal protective equipment able to serve 120 frontline workers for one month, patient isolation materials, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies.”
The UN body also noted that frontline responders from the WHO, the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare in the DR Congo, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are being vaccinated against Ebola in preparation for deployment in the field, as efforts are intensified to halt the spread of the virus and end the outbreak.
It added the “DR Congo has a stockpile of 2,000 Ebola vaccine doses and is in the process of procuring additional ones in the coming days.”
These measures follow the declaration of an Ebola virus disease outbreak in Kasai Province, where 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths, including four health workers, had been reported as of September 5.
The Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo comes at a time when much of Central and West Africa is grappling with overlapping health and humanitarian crises, including cholera outbreaks, malnutrition, and population displacement.
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s last outbreak of Ebola virus disease occurred in the north-western Equateur Province in April 2022. It was brought under control within three months, thanks to the robust efforts of health authorities.
In Kasai Province, previous outbreaks of Ebola virus disease were recorded in 2007 and 2008. Across the country, there have been 15 outbreaks since the disease was first identified in 1976.
Ebola virus disease is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans. It is transmitted to people through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats, which are thought to be the natural hosts.
Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, through contaminated objects, or through the body of a deceased Ebola patient.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that it has activated plans to prevent the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the country.
In a public health advisory issued on Saturday, the agency stated that it is working closely with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and development partners to monitor disease occurrence and strengthen the country’s preparedness.
According to the NCDC, measures, including heightened surveillance, particularly at the nation’s borders and points of entry, to ensure early detection of potential cases have been activated.
Earlier, the WHO announced that it had released $500,000 from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support the response to the EVD outbreak in the DR Congo.
