Global health institutions have warned that the number of confirmed cases of Ebola virus infection in the latest epidemic in Congo represents only a fraction of the actual number of patients and that the cases are registered and far from the initial focus.
So far, around 600 suspected cases have been confirmed, and it is estimated that around 130 people have died.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared this outbreak, the 17th overall recorded in Congo, an emergency event of international public health concern.
Uganda has temporarily suspended public passenger traffic to Congo for four weeks, while the transport of food and goods remains permitted.
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) board chair Jane Halton compared the development of the epidemic to an iceberg.
– We only saw the tip of the iceberg. And as we get closer to it, we see that it is very large – said Halton in Geneva.
She added that the actual scale of the epidemic is probably much higher than officially confirmed data.
Speaking about the possibility of developing a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain, she stated that there is a certain potential, but that it is an extremely demanding process.
Unlike the Zaire strain, there is currently no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, although research began before the outbreak.
Additional concern was caused by the confirmation of new cases in South Kivu province, several hundred kilometers away from the initial epicenter of the epidemic in Ituri province.
A spokesman for the M23 rebel group, which is supported by Rwanda, said a new positive case had been confirmed in an area under their control.
According to the rebels, the infected person arrived from Tshopo province, where no cases had been registered before.
It is said that this is a 28-year-old person who died and was buried with special health measures.
Local authorities announced that another person with suspected infection was placed in isolation.
Although the rebel authorities claim to cooperate with international organizations, access to the affected areas is hampered by conflicts and an unstable security situation.
The humanitarian response has been further slowed by a reduction in international aid.
Meanwhile, India has announced that it is postponing the India-Africa summit, which was scheduled to be held next week in New Delhi.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced that both sides have concluded that the holding of the summit should be postponed due to the development of the health situation on the African continent.
At the same time, India has expressed its readiness to support the efforts of the African Centers for Disease Control in responding to the epidemic.
The summit was planned from May 28 to 31, and the new date has not yet been announced.
New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport has issued health warnings for travelers arriving from Congo, South Sudan and Uganda.
According to available data, over the past 50 years, more than 15,000 people have died from the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus in Africa, reports DW.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
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