An Ebola outbreak with a case fatality rate of 48.6% has crossed borders in Africa, putting international health authorities on alert. The outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has spread to Kenya and Nigeria, and early confirmed patients in the two countries were found to have passed through the same international airport in Uganda on the same day.
Nearly 10,000 Cases and 4,803 Deaths, a Fatality Rate of 48.6%
African countries are stepping up containment measures as the Ebola outbreak that originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spreads to Kenya and Nigeria, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported on the 26th.
According to the Congolese National Institute of Public Health, cumulative cases reached 9,876 and deaths 4,803 from the official declaration of the outbreak on May 15 through the 25th of this month. The case fatality rate, or deaths as a share of confirmed cases, stands at 48.6%.
The International Rescue Committee said the death toll from this outbreak is roughly double that of the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic and called for emergency international support.
The IRC is currently supporting 24 health facilities in the Ituri and Goma areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with patient screening and isolation, personal protective equipment and improvements to drinking water and sanitation.
This month it expanded operations to Beni and Butembo in North Kivu province, where it has begun infection-control training for medical staff and repairs to sanitation facilities.
Ebola Crosses Borders, and the Same Airport Appears in Patients' Travel Histories
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in 12 years. The patient is the wife of a Swiss diplomat posted in the capital, Abuja, a Swiss national born in Uganda.
She returned to Nigeria on the 3rd via Ethiopia after a vacation in Uganda. She developed a fever and sore throat from the 7th and was confirmed as infected on the 20th after visiting several medical institutions.
Nigerian health authorities are tracing 53 contacts, including medical staff, and no additional cases have been identified so far.
The patient's condition improved and she was transported to Switzerland on the 26th aboard a medical flight. Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said the patient was conscious and able to communicate. Her husband, who has no symptoms, accompanied her.
In Kenya, a man who had been living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo returned home on the 3rd via Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and died on the 5th. Eight contacts were subsequently infected, one of whom died. Cumulative cases total nine, with two deaths.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the initial patients in the two countries used Entebbe airport on the same day and is investigating the possibility of contact between them. There is no evidence so far that either was infected at the airport.
Accounts also differ over where the infection occurred. Uganda said the Nigerian patient had visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but Switzerland denied it. The Africa CDC also said travel documents showed no record of such a visit and that it was investigating the route of transmission.
All U.S.-Bound Passengers to Sign Declarations on Travel to Congo
The United States is also tightening entry screening to block Ebola from entering the country. Starting next month, all passengers on international flights to the U.S. will be required to submit documents confirming whether they have visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the previous 21 days.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will apply the measure to all U.S.-bound flights departing from overseas after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 3, Reuters reported on the 22nd. Passengers transiting through the U.S. to other countries are also covered.
Passengers must sign a declaration stating that they have not visited or stayed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within 21 days before departure, and those who do not submit one will not be allowed to board. Electronic signatures through airline websites or booking applications are also accepted.
The CDC said it took into account that Ebola's maximum incubation period is 21 days. The measure is intended to prevent the virus from entering the U.S. via air travel.
The U.S. in May restricted travelers who had stayed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the previous 21 days from boarding commercial flights to the country, and extended the restriction to U.S. citizens in July. The new measure adds a requirement that all international passengers declare their travel history.