Anatomy of an outbreak

Anatomy of an outbreak

Article:

1.  R.Prasad, author, discussed how Congo learnt from the 2014 Ebola crisis and what measures is adopting in dealing with current crisis.

Important facts:

2. The Democratic Republic of Congo noticed Ebola cases once again this year.

3. Last time the virus was discovered in 1976.

4. Although, the WHO announced that the Ebola outbreak had ended.

5. Areas recorded crisis this year:

• Congo recorded a fresh outbreak in North Kivu province.
• Majority of cases are recorded from Mangina, adversely populated area.
• The cases were also reported from Bikoro in Equateur Province on 8May.
• Most cases were from report areas because:

6. These areas made it a challenge in terms of surveillance, case detection, and confirmation, contract tracing, and access to vaccines and therapeutics.

6. 2014 Ebola crisis:

• In 2014, Ebola had struck three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone).
• Measures taken in 2014 to handle Ebola crisis were delayed and were responsible for the spread and high mortality.
• In 2014, Wet African epidemic, WHO’s Emergency Committee convened around some thousand death cases confirmed.
• Despite the heightened global risk, the committee has not viewed it to be a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’, which is formal WHO declaration. There are two reasons for this:

a) Replied and comprehensive response by the government, WHO, and other partners.

b) Availability of vaccine developed by Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory and manufactured by Merck. As a result vaccination trial carried out in Guinea.

7. WHO’s measures this year:

• A day after Congo declared an outbreak, WHO, and the Ministry of Health set up a specialized cold chain to store the vaccine in the provincial capital Mbandaka.
• The first batch of more than 4,000 doses of vaccine was provided to Congo.
• This mark the first time vaccines were available so early in a response.
• Vaccination of health workers as well as people in contract with Ebola began in Mbandaka.
• In total , 3,330 people were vaccinated.
• It took around 30 months to control 2014 crisis, it took less than three months to handle this year crisis.
• In 2014, Wet African epidemic, WHO’s Emergency Committee convened only after some thousand death cases confirmed.  This time around, it convened 10 days after the outbreak was declared.
• The WHO released $1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
• It multidisciplinary team began an active search for cases and people who had come in contract with those who were infected.

8. However, despite above pro-active measures this time, 14 laboratory confirmed cases were reported within 10 days of outbreak.