The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dispatched 12 tonnes of emergency medical supplies and equipment to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to bolster efforts against the ongoing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Kasai Province.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said the shipment was sent from its Emergency Response and Preparedness hub in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Today, WHO shipped 12 tonnes of emergency medical supplies and equipment to support the DRC Ebola outbreak response”, the agency stated.
According to the WHO, the consignment includes: Personal protective equipment (PPE) sufficient for 120 frontline health workers for one month, Patient isolation materials and Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies
The WHO revealed that frontline responders from the organisation, the DR Congo Ministry of Public Health, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and other partners are currently receiving Ebola vaccinations ahead of their deployment to affected communities.
Additionally, the DRC has 2,000 Ebola vaccine doses in stock and is procuring more to scale up immunisation efforts in high-risk areas.
The emergency measures follow the official declaration of an Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, where 28 suspected cases and 16 deaths, including four health workers, had been recorded as of September 5.
This marks the 16th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. Kasai Province previously recorded outbreaks in 2007 and 2008, while the country’s most recent outbreak occurred in Equateur Province in April 2022 and was successfully contained within three months.
WHO and its partners are working with local health authorities to intensify surveillance, strengthen contact tracing, and deploy rapid response teams to affected areas. The goal, according to WHO, is to halt transmission quickly and prevent a nationwide spread.
About the Author
