Ebola crisis escalates: Uganda suspends all traffic with Congo

Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah

As the number of Ebola cases continues to rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities are facing difficulties in isolating those suspected of having the virus..

The incident manager of the National Response Team in the Republic said Congo Democracy: Patients believed to be infected with highly contagious hemorrhagic fever have mingled with the general population in the area's hospitals.

Richard Keating said: “The first thing we have to do is triage, remove all suspected cases from the hospital, put them in temporary shelter, take samples from them, and analyze them.”.

Speaking in the city of Bunya, he said that those who test positive for the virus will be transferred to special treatment centers.

He added: “As for those who have not tested positive, they will be considered contacts and we will have to monitor them.”.

Ebola treatment centers are empty

A week after the outbreak was confirmed in the country's Ituri province, the special Ebola treatment centers set up to deal with isolated patients remain empty.

In addition, health authorities are facing opposition from the community, which traditionally buries a deceased loved one – a practice prohibited during the Ebola outbreak.

On Thursday, youths set fire to an Ebola treatment center in Ruambara after being prevented from retrieving the body of a friend who died from the virus.

Bodies of Ebola victims with high infectiousness

The bodies of Ebola victims can be highly infectious, and medical authorities try to control burials whenever possible.

Keating explained that the bodies of those who died from the virus are much more dangerous than the patients.

He said: “When death occurs, the internal cells, the cells that die, reappear and remain in the surroundings. This means that everything that comes into contact with the body inevitably becomes contaminated.”.

“To protect the population, we are preventing any contact with the body. Only trained staff are allowed to touch it. So, not just anyone. The family has the right to see it, but they do not have the right to touch it.”

The World Health Organization announced on Friday that the outbreak is spreading rapidly and now poses a “very high” risk nationally.

Increase in infections and deaths

There are now approximately 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.

But both the World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention believe the outbreak is larger than the number of cases detected so far.

Containing the outbreak has become complicated due to the lack of a vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.

Uganda suspends traffic with Congo

In this context, Uganda suspended all flights between itself and the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, in order to reduce the risk of Ebola virus transmission across the border.

This comes after an outbreak of highly contagious hemorrhagic fever was announced last week in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which borders Uganda.

“Given Uganda’s proximity to the epicenter of the outbreak and strong cross-border links, the risk of importing more cases remains high,” said Diana Atween, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, in a statement.

The Ministry of Health in Kampala announced the suspension of all public transport, including ferries and cross-border buses, for four weeks, although the transport of goods and food supplies will continue.

Flights to Congo have also been temporarily suspended, and this measure is scheduled to take effect within 48 hours.

Domestically, Uganda is imposing strict restrictions in high-risk border areas with extensive movement, including the suspension of weekly markets and large gatherings.

Uganda initially reported two suspected cases of Ebola – one infection and one death – involving Congolese nationals who had crossed the border.

But she said there are currently no active cases of Ebola, after the previously suspected case tested negative twice.

The World Health Organization has declared the latest deadly outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

There is no vaccine or clinical treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus responsible for the current epidemic.