Berlin braces for Ebola patient amid 30% rise in deaths

The suspected death toll from the rapidly spreading Ebola virus in central Africa has risen by 30 percent in a single day, as health experts work urgently to contain the outbreak.

Speaking from Geneva, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there were now over 500 suspected cases and 130 deaths — up from 100 the previous day. The vast majority are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a small number in Uganda, News.Az reports, citing Politico.

A U.S. doctor also infected with the virus will be evacuated to Berlin’s Charité hospital, the German health ministry confirmed Tuesday, following a request from U.S. authorities.

The hospital was preparing for the patient to be admitted to a “special isolation ward,” the ministry said. It did not confirm when the patient would arrive.

So far, only 30 of the cases have been confirmed to be Ebola in the outbreak in DRC, which has been caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a strain for which there are no vaccines or treatments.

Tedros said he is particularly concerned because of the high number of cases, including in urban areas such as Uganda's capital, Kampala, and the western Congolese city of Goma.

There are also over 100,000 displaced people in the region, making this outbreak especially complex, he said.

WHO’s representative in DRC, Anne Ancia told reporters Tuesday cases were initially detected in Ituri province, in the northeast and bordering Uganda. But cases have now reached North Kivu, the province south of Ituri, which borders Rwanda. Uganda has also confirmed two imported cases.

The United States has closed its borders for 30 days to all non-U.S. citizens who have traveled through the area in the past 21 days. This contradicts the WHO's international health guidelines — which the U.S. has not signed.

Measures that specifically exclude foreigners are ineffective, said Jeanne Marrazzo, head of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. "Diseases don't have passports," she said in a statement.

“The fastest path to protecting all countries in the world is to aggressively support outbreak control at the source,” said Jean Kaseya, head of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday.

“Global health security cannot be achieved through borders alone. It is achieved through partnership, trust, science, and rapid investment in preparedness and response capacity,” he added.

Meanwhile, the American doctor being transferred to Germany, Peter Stafford, worked for the U.S. missionary organization Serge and treated Ebola patients in Nyankunde Hospital, Ituri.

Stafford was one of three doctors treating patients in the region when the outbreak began. The other two doctors — his wife, Rebekah Stafford, and Patrick LaRochelle — have not yet shown any symptoms, according to Serge.

The U.S. State Department said Monday it is coordinating “a comprehensive response” to the Ebola outbreak, “working closely with [the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the U.S. military on potential repatriation of affected Americans, based on assessed exposure and health needs.”

The department is also providing $13 million to fund immediate response efforts in Congo and Uganda, adding that more funding is expected.

Over the last year, the U.S. has significantly axed foreign aid. Oxfam said Monday huge aid cuts had contributed to the stalled response to the outbreak through weakened disease surveillance.

Failing health systems and extreme poverty exacerbated by these funding cuts allow Ebola to spread "further and faster before anyone realizes what's happening," the International Rescue Committee said Tuesday.

The WHO is convening its emergency committee Tuesday afternoon to map out local and international responses.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli