“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities.<\/p>\n
“Banking on the country’s long-standing expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks, we’re working closely with the health authorities to quickly scale up key response measures to end the outbreak as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A health worker at an Ebola treatment centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019.\u00a0 (Reuters: Baz Ratner)<\/p>\n
What is Ebola?<\/p>\n
Ebola is a highly infectious deadly haemorrhagic fever.<\/p>\n
It is officially called Ebola virus disease but is commonly referred to as simply “Ebola”.<\/p>\n
Ebola was discovered in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where it occurred in a village near the Ebola River, after which the disease is named.<\/p>\n
The average fatality rate for Ebola is about 50 per cent, a WHO factsheet says<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it also says fatality rates have ranged from 25 per cent to 90 per cent in past outbreaks.<\/p>\n How does Ebola spread?<\/p>\n The WHO says fruit bats are thought to have been the natural host of the virus, which spreads to humans who come into contact with the bodily fluids of infected animals.<\/p>\n “Human-to-human transmission is through direct contact with blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola, objects that have been contaminated with body fluids from a person sick with Ebola or the body of a person who died from Ebola,” WHO said.<\/p>\n Health workers at an Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo in 2018. (Ap: Al-hadji Kudra Maliro\/File)<\/p>\n What are the symptoms of Ebola?<\/p>\n The WHO says initial symptoms<\/a> include:<\/p>\n feverfatiguemusclepainheadachesore throat<\/p>\n This can be followed by:<\/p>\n vomitingdiarrhoearashsymptoms of impaired kidney and liver function<\/p>\n The later stages of the disease can include internal and external bleeding, however this is less frequent, the WHO says on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Some patients may develop internal and external bleeding, including blood in vomit and faeces, bleeding from the nose, gums and vagina,” it says.<\/p>\n “Bleeding at the sites where needles have punctured the skin can also occur.”<\/p>\n When was Congo’s last Ebola outbreak?<\/p>\n Congo’s last Ebola outbreak was in 2022, in the Equateur province.<\/p>\n “It was brought under control in under three months thanks to the robust efforts of the health authorities,” the WHO said in a statement.<\/p>\n Five people died during the 2022 outbreak.<\/p>\n That death toll was in stark contrast to the devastating outbreak from 2018 to 2020, which killed nearly 2,300 people.<\/p>\n The difference between the two outbreaks was put down to a swift and “robust response” in 2020, according to a WHO statement published at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n “With greater experience in Ebola control, national emergency teams, with the support from WHO and partners, mounted a swift response soon after the outbreak was declared,” the WHO said.<\/p>\n “Key counter measures [included] testing, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, treatment and community engagement.<\/p>\n “Vaccination \u2014 a crucial protective measure \u2014 was launched just four days after the outbreak was declared.”<\/p>\n The WHO said Congo had a stockpile of treatments as well as 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine that will be transported to Kasai to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n