Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is preparing to rapidly scale up its medical response in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following the official declaration of an Ebola outbreak by the Ministry of Health on May 15.
This outbreak has been caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. The Bundibugyo strain is distinct from the more common Zaire strain because there is no approved vaccine or treatment. MSF currently has teams in the affected areas of Ituri assessing medical needs. We are coordinating closely with the Congolese health authorities.
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“The number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short timeframe, combined with the spread across several health zones and now across the border [in Uganda], is extremely concerning,” says Trish Newport, MSF emergency program manager. “In Ituri, many people already struggle to access health care and live with ongoing insecurity, making rapid action critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating further.”
Right now, MSF is mobilizing more teams comprising medical, logistical, and support staff experienced in responding to viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks to launch a large-scale response as quickly as possible. Our teams are working to ensure strict infection prevention measures are in place in our existing projects to protect our staff, our patients, and their access to health care. At MSF’s Salama clinic in Bunia, three patients who are potentially infected with the Ebola Bundibugyo virus have been isolated.
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