There has been a confirmed case of Ebola in the Mbandaka city of Congo that has a population of 1.2 million. This is the first urban case in the latest outbreak and is being considered to be one of the most serious ones in recent times. The last major outbreaks have affected people across West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
.jpg "Microscopic view of Ebola Virus. Image Credit: Nixx Photography / Shutterstock")
Microscopic view of Ebola Virus. Image Credit: Nixx Photography / Shutterstock
Healthcare teams fear that the spread of the infection would be faster in the city compared to the rural areas that they were dealing with up until now. The World Health Organization has a team of healthcare professionals in place to help combat the outbreak. Peter Salama, the WHO’s deputy director general of emergency preparedness and response called this confirmed case of Ebola a “game changer” because it would dramatically increase the speed of spread of the outbreak.
The cases before this were all from remote areas that were over 100 miles south of Mbandaka in the Equateur province. All in all, including the urban cases, 14 cases of Ebola have been confirmed according to the reports from the Congo Health Ministry. There were 21 other probable cases and 10 more suspected cases of Ebola. Total potential cases of Ebola are 45 thus and till date, this latest outbreak has killed 25 individuals.
According to Salama, this urban case is a “major development in the outbreak”. “We have urban Ebola, which is a very different animal from rural Ebola. The potential for an explosive increase in cases is now there,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is also sending in a team to Congo after the initial assessment of the WHO team is complete and logistical problems are listed out. They would be sending in experts to remote locations as well. CDC epidemiologist Pierre Rollin, an Ebola expert said that the CDC would be sending in teams to be prepared for a long term aid. More than one team is ready to be dispatched he said and each of these would work in shifts of four to six weeks.
Ebola has no known cure and no fully effective vaccine. This Wednesday, the WHO has sent in 4,000 injections of an experimental vaccine that has shown promise in the clinical trials. More batches of the injection would be sent in soon.
At present the teams of healthcare personnel are trying to look for all the contacts of the infected person to seek out those at risk. These contacts could then be isolated to prevent further transmission of the virus.
According to experts unsafe burial of those killed with Ebola is one of the causes of spread of the epidemic as well. The dead body of an individual with virus is capable of infecting all those who come in contact and this is what has been happening in Bikoro at the start of this outbreak say experts from International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Ebola virus disease (EVD) also called Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a viral infection. The virus is transmitted from wild animals to human populations and then spreads via human-to-human contact. This risk of dying with the infection once contracted is one in two or even higher.
Prevention of spread is the best way to control an outbreak. This includes isolation and management of the infected case, surveillance for new cases, identification of all contacts of the infected person and isolation and observation of the contacts. Good laboratory services to confirm the cases as well as safe and dignified burials of the infected dead individuals is also of paramount importance says the WHO.