chargement...
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday declared a global public health emergency following the spread of an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. In announcing the move, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision had been taken under the International Health Regulations, given the risk of a «regional outbreak that would be difficult to contain».
Dr. Tayeb Hamdi, a physician and researcher in health policy and systems, said that, in this context, Morocco would do well to step up its vigilance, though without undue alarm. The specialist explained that the overall risk of the virus being introduced and spreading within communities in the country remains low, but that caution is still the best safeguard, given «the absence of a vaccine for this specific strain». «The Ebola virus is not transmitted through the air, but through contact with bodily fluids and contaminated objects from sick people or their corpses», he said in a note.
In this regard, the doctor said it was important to strengthen the «upstream epidemiological barrier» in order to «intercept the virus at the borders, because the risk of a domestic outbreak is virtually nil if no imported case slips through the airport screening system». «The Ministry of Health and Social Protection, in coordination with other government departments, will reactivate the National Monitoring and Response Plan based on three main pillars: reinforced border surveillance (...); health system vigilance (...); and dedicated isolation facilities», Dr. Hamdi wrote.
With a fatality rate of 50%, the Bundibugyo strain is «a rare variant» for which there is still «no approved vaccine or specific treatment, unlike the Zaire strain, which caused previous outbreaks». At least eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths have been recorded in Ituri province in the DRC.
