The head of the World Health Organization has appealed for a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, where Ebola is rapidly spreading. Director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ statement said even a temporary truce would allow health workers through and save lives. “I urge you, I implore you: give us the space to help the people who need it most,” he said, addressing the armed factions active in the province. Out of nearly a thousand suspected Ebola cases in the DRC and Uganda, over 220 people may have died, with the WHO warning that the outbreak could potentially be much larger.
Meanwhile, a court in Nairobi has temporarily blocked the Kenyan government from allowing the US to set up a quarantine facility in the country for Americans suspected of exposure to the virus. The US is among a number of countries that have imposed Ebola-related travel restrictions and border closures, despite WHO advice to the contrary.
From The New Humanitarian, May 29. Internal links added.
Photo of displaced persons camp in Ituri: Alexis Huguet/MSF via TNH
Kenya court lengthens suspension of US Ebola center
A Kenyan court on June 2 lengthened its suspension on building a US Ebola quarantine center near the Laikipia airbase following protests that left two people dead. After reviewing an emergency petition by the Katiba Institute, Justice Patricia Mande Nyaundi postponed the operation of the planned quarantine facility by another three weeks. (Jurist)
Ebola response struggles to slow virus’ spread
The Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is failing to match the speed of the virus’ spread, health authorities are warning. Tchomia, in the northeastern province of Ituri, is the latest outbreak zone. Countrywide there have been 136 confirmed deaths and 676 confirmed cases, according to the latest grim tally. Conflict-affected Ituri accounts for more than 94% of those cases, but the virus has also emerged in neighbouring North Kivu, South Kivu, and across the border in Uganda. Contact tracing remains a huge hurdle, with only around 12% of the connections of Ebola patients in Ituri reached. Uganda has imposed cross-border movement restrictions—although health experts say such measures could be counterproductive. (TNH)
Kenya protests against US Ebola quarantine facility turn deadly
Kenyan police killed a protester June 9 in Nanyuki, where residents have repeatedly marched against a 50-bed quarantine facility the US is building at Laikipia Air Base for Americans exposed to Ebola in DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. Two protesters were killed in similar protests a week ago. A court suspended work on May 28, but US military flights have continued ferrying staff and equipment in defiance of that order. President William Ruto insists Kenya is “doing the right thing,” calling refusal to work with the Americans on the facility “inhuman,” and citing decades of partnership with Washington. As the latest death unfolded, Trump adviser Massad Boulos was in Oslo thanking Ruto for his “steadfast partnership.” (TNH)
Warnings multiply as Ebola cases surge in DRC
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could become the “worst ever,” senior health officials are warning. There have now been 915 confirmed cases and 234 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15—the highest death toll at this stage of an epidemic (although it may have been detected later than others).
Even before the very latest figures, the number of cases had increased 38% in less than a week and experts warn the outbreak is yet to peak. The virus is also spreading geographically in conflict-affected eastern DRC and, at the current rate of infection, the epidemic could last a year. The violence, population displacement, and distrust of authorities in the region makes contact tracing and care all the harder.
Financing is another hurdle. Donors have so far pledged $910 million, including $80 million from African Union member states. But less than 10% of those pledges have turned into cash, according to Africa CDC. The West Africa Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 is currently the worst on record, killing more than 11,000 people. (TNH)