Key takeaways:
- Three Red Cross volunteers in Congo died after contracting Ebola during a March humanitarian mission.
- The Ebola outbreak involves both Congo and Uganda, with at least 88 confirmed cases and 10 deaths reported by WHO.
- The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and raised Congo's risk level to very high.
Three Red Cross volunteers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died after contracting the Ebola virus during a humanitarian mission in March, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced Saturday. The volunteers—Alikana Udumusi Augustin, Sezabo Katanabo, and Ajiko Chandiru Viviane—were serving in the Mongbwalu branch of the Congo Red Cross in Djugu territory, Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The IFRC said the volunteers likely contracted the virus while carrying out dead body management activities on March 27 during a mission unrelated to Ebola. At that time, the community was unaware of the Ebola outbreak, which had not yet been identified. Viviane died on May 5, Katanabo on May 15, and Augustin on May 16. “These volunteers lost their lives while serving their communities with courage and humanity,” the IFRC said.
The Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, is affecting both Congo and neighboring Uganda. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. As of Thursday, the WHO reported 746 suspected cases and 176 deaths among suspected cases in Congo. There have been at least 88 confirmed cases with 10 deaths, including one in Uganda, according to the WHO.
Ugandan authorities confirmed three new Ebola cases, raising the total to five in the country. The new cases include a Ugandan driver who transported the first confirmed case, a Ugandan health worker exposed while caring for that patient, and a Congolese woman who entered Uganda with mild abdominal symptoms. All are receiving treatment.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the outbreak as “deeply worrisome,” noting that violence and insecurity are hampering response efforts despite improved surveillance and laboratory testing. International aid and personnel have been deployed from organizations including the WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Doctors Without Borders, and the U.S. State Department, which has mobilized $23 million in foreign assistance.
The CDC issued an order on May 18 barring entry to foreign nationals who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days prior to arriving in the United States. U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have been in these countries within 21 days must enter through designated airports for enhanced health screening. No suspected or confirmed Ebola cases from this outbreak have been reported in the U.S.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its list of high-risk countries to include Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia, according to the IFRC.
Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency room physician and Ebola survivor, expressed particular concern for healthcare workers, who have close contact with contagious patients, especially around the time of death.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever and currently has no approved vaccines or treatments. The WHO raised the risk assessment for Congo to the highest level, categorizing it as very high risk, while maintaining the regional risk as high and the global risk as low.
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