Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda are racing to contain a fresh outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. At the same time, the East African Community (EAC) has urged neighbouring states to tighten border surveillance and coordinate responses to prevent wider spread.

The DRC said on Monday that 530 cases had been detected in Ituri Province, with 106 deaths, according to its Ministry of Health.

Uganda has also reported two cases, both involving Congolese nationals from Ituri, one of whom has died. Kampala, its capital, moved swiftly to introduce new standard operating procedures to curb further imported cases, banning physical contact such as handshakes and tightening border monitoring.

In the wider EAC region, Rwanda closed its border with the DRC. Mayor Prosper Mulindwa of Rubavu District in Rwanda’s Western Province told local media the closure would remain in place indefinitely as part of containment measures. “The borders connecting Goma and Gisenyi have been temporarily closed in response to the Ebola outbreak. We will continue engaging residents to explain why this decision was made,” Mulindwa said.

Regional Alert

The EAC further urged Partner States to strengthen surveillance and screening at border entry points.

“All partner states should strengthen national and cross-border emergency preparedness plans to enhance surveillance and monitoring at points of entry and safeguard public health,” said Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, the EAC deputy secretary-general for Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors.

This is the 17^th Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC since the disease was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River. The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, which has no vaccine or approved treatment.

The outbreak has spread beyond its original epicentre, a sign of delayed detection and porous borders.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it an international public health emergency, while the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), acting on recommendations from its Emergency Consultative Group, declared it a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.

Both declarations stop short of a pandemic designation but allow the agencies to coordinate regional response efforts.

The Africa CDC warned of a “high risk of regional spread due to intense cross-border population movement” and insecurity in affected areas, where infection prevention measures remain weak.

According to the DRC Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare, the outbreak, from May 15, “has mainly affected the Moonwalk and Rwampara areas in Ituri, while suspected cases have also emerged in Bunia, the provincial capital.”

Conflict Challenge

Insecurity is complicating the response in the DRC, where the outbreak has emerged in an area affected by heavy fighting between government forces and rebels.

North and South Kivu provinces have been under M23 rebel control since March last year. Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for M23, said the group was cooperating with health experts to prevent further spread.

“At present, across all liberated areas, only one confirmed case is being treated in Goma, and no new cases have been reported,” he said.

M23 said it had traced 189 contacts, with their samples sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB). Five tested negative.

Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of the INRB, said laboratory tests had confirmed a positive case in Goma. The patient is the wife of a man who died of Ebola in Bunia, the epicentre of the outbreak. She travelled to Goma after her husband’s death while already infected.

Muyembe, one of the country’s leading Ebola experts, was involved in investigating the first known outbreak in 1976.

Beyond testing, M23 has not clarified the extent of its cooperation, especially as the WHO and Africa CDC responses require access to affected areas.

EAC Deputy Secretary-General Malueth said the outbreak underlined the continuing threat posed by epidemic-prone diseases in East Africa.

“The EAC remains vigilant and committed to supporting partner states in strengthening surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, as well as risk communication, especially in border areas,” he said.

“So far, measures undertaken include the rapid deployment of the EAC mobile laboratory network to support border surveillance along the DRC frontier, while UVRI, as the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence, is working closely with the EAC and BNITM to strengthen laboratory diagnostic services across the region.”

Global Response

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said countries in East and Central Africa must work closely to contain the outbreak and reinforce public health systems.

Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness affecting humans and primates. Cases linked to the current strain are said to have a 50 per cent survival rate.

The disease spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, contaminated surfaces, and infected animals, including bats and primates. The incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, and transmission begins only once symptoms appear.

Meanwhile, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said one American national had been infected while working in the DRC.

Dr Satish Pillai, deputy director for the Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, said the patient had been flown to Germany for specialised care after testing positive on Sunday.

The CDC also announced enhanced traveller screening for people arriving from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, with entry restrictions on non-US passport holders who had been in those countries within the previous 21 days.

The US State Department said it had mobilised US$13 million in foreign assistance to support surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, risk communication, safe burials and traveller screening.

(Source: The EastAfrican)