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Threat of spread to Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan
However, the Emergency Committee said it was concerned about current levels of transmission and that the evolving situation requires close attention. It advised the WHO Director General to continue to monitor the situation closely and reconvene the Emergency Committee as needed.
To be declared an international health emergency, it must be serious, unusual or unexpected and threaten to infect other countries and require immediate international action. In the view of the Emergency Committee, the DR Congo Ebola outbreak does not meet that criterion.
However, the Committee said it wished to express “deep concern about the recent increase in transmission in specific areas, and therefore the potential risk of spread to neighbouring countries”.
The outbreak, which is occurring on DR Congo’s porous eastern border, threatens to spill into neighbouring Rwanda, Uganda, and South Sudan.
Because of the very high risk of regional spread, the committee said, neighbouring countries should continue to accelerate current preparedness and surveillance efforts, including vaccination of health care workers and front-line workers in surrounding countries.
Cross-border collaboration should continue to be strengthened, including timely sharing of data and alerts, cross-border community engagement and awareness raising.
In addition, work should be done to better map population movements and understand social networks bridging national boundaries.
The committee, however, repeated its previous advice that it is particularly important that no international travel or trade restrictions should be applied.
“Exit screening, including at airports, ports, and land crossings, is of great importance; however, entry screening, particularly in distant airports, is not considered to be of any public health or cost-benefit value,” it said.
The committee strongly emphasised that strengthening currents efforts in both preparedness and response was critical and would require substantial, immediate and sustained additional financial support. The WHO has recently said it needs up to US$148 million to tackle the outbreak for the next six months but by March had received only US$74 million.
The committee advised a redoubling of efforts to detect cases as early as possible, identify and follow up all contacts, ensure the highest level of coverage vaccination of all contacts and contacts of contacts.
“Sustained efforts must be made to prevent nosocomial transmission and to shorten time between onset of disease and access to high standards of care and therapeutics at Ebola treatment units,” the committee statement said.
Special emphasis was to be placed on addressing the rise in case numbers in the remaining epicentres, notably Butembo, Katwa, Vuhovi, and Mandima.
Latest data indicates a total of 1,206 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola in this latest deadly outbreak in DRC which began last August, while 764 people had died by April 10. It is the worst outbreak in DR Congo history. On April 10 alone there were 20 new cases reported.
Up to the end of March, more than 320 patients had recovered and been discharged from treatment centres, according to the Government’s health ministry.
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