Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
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Introduction
The latest Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak in the history of the disease.
The epidemic began at the end of 2013, in Guinea. From there it spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. Many of the affected countries face enormous challenges in stopping its spread and providing care for all patients.
Thousands of people have died and many are at risk as the fatality rate from this virus is very high. As the crisis worsens, as well as the enormous health challenges involved, the social and economic consequences may set these countries back, reversing some gains a number of these countries have made in recent years.
Where does the Ebola virus come from?
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US, the initial human infection comes from contact with an infected animal, most likely a bat. From there, human to human transmission spreads the disease.
Virus Ecology Graphic
, CDC, August 1, 2014As The Guardian has noted, drugs and vaccines for Ebola has typically been low priority for the main drugs companies although now there is a new focus and sense of urgency:
Until now, pharmaceutical firms have given Ebola very low priority. The few potential drugs and vaccines under development are now being sped into trials. Healthy volunteers in the UK and US have been injected with a candidate vaccine to test safety. Drug trials will soon be set up in west Africa, but they are several months away and there is no certainty that they will work.
As has been mentioned on this site for years, unfortunately diseases affecting the poorest countries the worst have typically received little attention or investment, sometimes as there isn’t any profit in it for drugs companies, which raises a whole set of other issues about drug treatments and access to essential medicines.
Tackling the spread of the Ebola virus
The CDC also notes that strict isolation of infected patients is essential to reduce onward transmission.
In addition, as a number of these countries are quite poor, aid and health assistance is quite essential as resources are limited for already strained budgets and health departments. While aid has been slow to come, aid on its own will not help; there is a general lack of enough trained staff, basic equipment and appropriate medical facilities to handle the number of people needing care. And that doesn’t even cover the additional services that could be needed for thousands of people who have lost many loved ones, including entire families.
News stories from IPS
Below is a list of stories from Inter Press Service related to this latest Ebola virus outbreak.
New Ebola vaccine trial launches as outbreak spreads in DR Congo
- UN News
Results may be months away, but efforts are advancing towards enhanced treatment and the world’s first vaccine for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday as deaths and cases rise in the largest ever outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
DR Congo: New centre opens at heart of record Ebola outbreak
- UN News
New UN-backed centres will serve eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as confirmed Ebola cases continued to climb sharply over the weekend in the largest ever outbreak of the highly contagious disease in the country.
Dual Crises in Eastern DRC as Ebola Surges and Hunger Deepens
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (IPS) - The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is battling the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, with United Nations officials warning that hunger is actively undermining efforts to contain the spread.
Hunger hampers Ebola response as cases top 3,200 in DR Congo
- UN News
The UN emergency food agency appealed for immediate funding on Wednesday, warning that deepening hunger is undermining the response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has now infected more than 3,200 people.
After an Ebola centre was attacked, peacekeepers moved in next door
- UN News
A new mobile UN peacekeeping base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has allowed local authorities to continue responding to the fast-moving Ebola outbreak there after violence disrupted the work of medics at a treatment centre set up to contain the spread.
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak still expanding, WHO sees signs of stabilization
- UN News
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 recoveries.
World News in Brief: Appeal for calm in Kashmir, women on the move, increased Ebola deaths in communities, 12th anniversary of MH17
- UN News
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, has appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid unrest ahead of regional elections.
WHO warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak is outpacing response as Uganda reaches milestone
- UN News
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the third largest on record and is spreading faster than any previous one during the first month of exposure, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday.
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
- UN News
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
World must move faster on Ebola response for DR Congo: UN relief chief
- UN News
The world must move faster to contain the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Thursday.
Ebola continues to spread in DRC as death toll passes 500, WHO warns
- UN News
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
Ebola Outbreak Could Cost Africa $3.6 Billion and Threaten Nearly One Million Livelihoods
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, July 6 (IPS) - A new assessment from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns that the Ebola outbreak could cost Africa USD 3.6 billion, push 985,000 people into poverty, and put 300,000 jobs at risk.
A safe return home: Tackling stigma on Uganda's Ebola frontline
- UN News
As Uganda works to contain an Ebola outbreak that is also affecting neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers are doing more than responding to a deadly virus. They are helping families navigate fear, misinformation and stigma.
Taking the world’s temperature: WHO chief spotlights global health emergencies
- UN News
The hantavirus global outbreak is officially over, Ebola outbreaks are growing in Africa and responders are helping recovery efforts in quake-hit Venezuela, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Thursday, announcing updates on global health emergencies.
World News in Brief: Aid convoy attacked in South Sudan, Ebola threatens livelihoods, UN deplores death penalty
- UN News
Five humanitarian workers have been killed after a clearly marked aid convoy was ambushed in Jonglei State, South Sudan.
World News in Brief: Violence displaces thousands in Haiti and Lebanon, Gaza updates, UN food agency delivers in Ebola-stricken DR Congo
- UN News
More than 2,600 people were displaced in the Artibonite department of Haiti following clashes between armed groups last week as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA).
World News in Brief: Ebola prevention, Yemen child deaths, Colombia elections, Japan climate campaign
- UN News
The UN's top humanitarian has allocated $8 million in funding to help Burundi and South Sudan prepare for the potential spread of Ebola.
Lives at risk in DR Congo as Ebola outbreak continues to outpace response
- UN News
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread faster than aid efforts can keep pace, despite significant gains in treatment capacity and growing community engagement, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.
Ebola in DR Congo: first month of outbreak sees record number of cases – UN humanitarians
- UN News
Ebola has been spreading at unprecedented speed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bringing risk and fear into people’s daily lives, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
Global Ebola cases top 1,000 as UN races to reach DR Congo’s most vulnerable
- UN News
As global confirmed Ebola cases reach 1,000, nearly three million children and adolescents are at risk in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while efforts increase to treat prisoners near the epicentre of the current outbreak, UN agencies warned on Monday.
Ebola in DR Congo: One month on, scaled up response remains insufficient
- UN News
One month after the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, case numbers continue to rise.
DR Congo: Efforts ramp up as Ebola outbreak accelerates beyond borders
- UN News
The spread of Ebola is accelerating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid continued armed violence, posing a grave and growing risk to the region, UN agencies warned on Friday.
Ebola treatment capacity expands in DR Congo as WHO issues new guidelines
- UN News
Treatment capacity for the rare and deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola is expanding in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that community mistrust remains a major challenge to ending the outbreak.
‘Some question if Ebola is real’: how trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak
- UN News
In Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
The Last Bottle of Halothane: Why Africa Cannot Wait
- Inter Press Service
KAMPALA Uganda, June 16 (IPS) - Global health has a habit of mobilizing around the visible and the dramatic. Ebola, malaria, and Mpox have all dominated headlines related to Africa in recent years, and understandably so. But nobody is talking about one of the most consequential regional health crises waiting to happen.
WHO commends Uganda’s Ebola response, urges vigilance and regional cooperation
- UN News
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Uganda’s response to an Ebola outbreak that has spread from neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while warning that continued vigilance and cross-border cooperation will be critical to stopping transmission.
DR Congo: Ebola spreads as agencies brace for child victims
- UN News
The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario in the days ahead, UN agencies said on Friday.
We Knew About the Bundibugyo Ebola Virus for 20 Years. Why was There no Vaccine When the Outbreak Began?
- Inter Press Service
WASHINGTON DC, June 9 (IPS) - When the world learned that Ebola was spreading across parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, one fact stood out above all others: there was no approved vaccine for the virus responsible.
Building trust and lab testing at the heart of DRC Ebola response: WHO
- UN News
In Ebola-stricken eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a massive push for early testing and contact tracing is helping to contain the virus, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
‘Rare, untreatable strain’: Ebola toll mounts in eastern DR Congo
- UN News
The top UN aid official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in Ituri province – the epicentre of the country's Ebola outbreak – for a three-day assessment visit, as the confirmed case count reaches 515 across three eastern provinces.
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