WHO is concerned about the scale and speed of the Ebola virus spread.

Currently, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for the strain of virus causing this outbreak, identified as Bundibugyo – a rare strain of the Ebola virus.

On May 19, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed concern about the “scale and speed” of the Ebola virus spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has already killed 131 people.

Speaking at the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, Tedros emphasized that declaring the second-highest level of alert under international health regulations regarding the Ebola virus was not an easy decision. He said, "I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the outbreak."

The WHO has declared the surge in cases of the highly contagious Ebola virus a global health emergency and will hold an emergency meeting on the crisis on May 19.

There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the strain of virus causing this outbreak, identified as Bundibugyo – a rare strain of Ebola virus that has only appeared a few times since it was first discovered in 2007.

The epicenter of this outbreak is Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Uganda and South Sudan.

The Ebola virus has now spread to neighboring provinces, as well as to neighboring Uganda.

This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with a population of over 100 million.

Current vaccines are only effective against the Zaire strain, the virus strain that has caused some of the most severe outbreaks in history.

The WHO says it is reviewing whether any vaccine candidates or treatments could be used to contain the current wave of infections.

The office of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that President Felix Tshisekedi on May 19th urged the people to remain calm and proactively take preventive measures. President Tshisekedi also instructed the government to strengthen its response to the epidemic.

On the same day, the Singapore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDA) announced that the country was strengthening public health measures to prevent the risk of imported Ebola virus cases.

The CDA stated that health advisories regarding the Ebola outbreak have now been implemented at all Singapore border crossings. Those entering from affected areas will be required to self-monitor their health for 21 days after leaving the affected region and seek prompt medical attention if they experience any suspected symptoms.

CDA also advised Singaporeans planning to travel to affected areas to take full precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection.

The agency said it is closely monitoring the situation and will adjust public health measures if it assesses the risk changes.

Currently, there are no direct flights from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to Singapore, and travel between the two countries is also low.

However, Singaporean health officials are urging doctors to remain vigilant regarding patients with symptoms and a recent travel history to affected areas.

According to the CDA, healthcare facilities and laboratories must immediately notify the agency of any suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola.

Also on May 19th, the US State Department issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. Accordingly, the department imposed the highest level of travel advisory, level 4, advising against travel to these three Central African countries, and also urged citizens to reconsider traveling to Rwanda.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/who-quan-ngai-ve-quy-mo-va-toc-do-lay-lan-cua-virus-ebola-post1111396.vnp