Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo exceeded 4,000 by Oct. 20 as infections spread across the country, the World Health Organization's regional director for Africa said.
The outbreak reached an eighth province, while Nigeria confirmed an imported case and Kenya recorded infections. The remarks came during the WHO Africa media briefing carried by Reuters, published Oct. 22.
“It is a regional concern that demands regional vigilance and collective resolve,” the director said.
Nigeria's imported infection involved the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. Kenya reported nine cases, including one death, while Congo recorded more than 9,000 confirmed cases, WHO said.
Around six in every 10 recent deaths in Congo occurred outside treatment centres. The director called for earlier access to care and stronger community trust to help people seek treatment.
WHO is working with national authorities, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners to bring safe care closer to communities. Its other priorities include investigating infections, checking contacts daily and preparing neighbouring countries and areas at high risk.
More than 300 health workers contracted Ebola and about 48 died, WHO said. Those infections also reduced the capacity to respond to the outbreak.
Other diseases are adding to the demands on health services. WHO recorded nearly 165,000 cholera cases and more than 2,500 deaths this year. Diphtheria cases already exceeded last year's total, with children aged five to 14 most affected.
Patrick Amoth, director general for health at Kenya's Ministry of Health, said the country's first imported Ebola case was recorded on Oct. 6. The Kenyan national travelled from Congo through Uganda before flying to Nairobi and died about 48 hours later.
The ministry traced all 135 listed contacts. Eight further cases followed the initial infection, and all eight patients were receiving treatment at two designated units in Nairobi.
Amoth said the patients were responding well after receiving an experimental antibody treatment. One needed supplemental oxygen after blood oxygen levels fell during treatment.
Kenya requested 10,000 vaccine doses through WHO, with health workers to receive priority. Amoth gave no delivery date.
About 120 people were in institutional quarantine. Some could begin leaving on Sunday after completing 21 days, subject to testing and assessments by health workers.
However, failures to follow infection control measures at one facility forced authorities to restart quarantine for some people from Oct. 19, when the facility identified its latest case.
Contact tracing in Nairobi also proved difficult. A team under the Kenya Defence Forces brought together telecommunications companies and intelligence services to locate contacts using telephone information.
The briefing did not establish when all those in quarantine would leave or when the requested vaccines would arrive.
