Africa CDC and WHO Scale Up Response to Unprecedented Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
10 sources across 9 countries · 2 of them are linked to a state
Who reported this
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- South China Morning Post
- Tempo English
- Al Jazeera
- The Straits Times
- Business Day
- Taipei Times
- The Guardian
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
Health authorities are scaling up efforts to contain the fastest growing Ebola outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has resulted in approximately 4,000 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths since it was declared in mid May. The Africa CDC and the World Health Organization are launching research to determine if the virus is mutating, as it is spreading six to eight times faster than previous outbreaks. The epicenter is located in the Ituri province, though the virus has spread to Nord Kivu, Sud Kivu, Haut Uele, and Tshopo provinces.
To combat the spread, the Africa CDC announced plans to use the Ervebo vaccine, which was developed for the Zaire strain, as a stop gap measure. Director General Jean Kaseya stated that limited testing showed zero deaths among those vaccinated against the Zaire strain, suggesting a level of protection. Authorities also plan to expand the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir. In response to the rapid transmission, the Africa CDC is shifting from contact tracing to active case searches, which involves community health workers going door to door to identify sick individuals.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the virus is spreading faster than the international community can react. This crisis is compounded by strikes and protests from medical staff in the hardest hit regions over inadequate pay and conditions. Additionally, the US Department of State has pledged 242 million US dollars in additional funding for the response.
Concerns over the virus reaching the capital, Kinshasa, led authorities to intercept a river boat in Maluku. More than 300 passengers were screened after a 32 year old man died on July 25 with symptoms consistent with Ebola. There are conflicting reports regarding the vessel's origin and when the man developed symptoms, with some officials citing Kisangani and others citing Mongala province.
Outlets with a center left lean emphasize the potential mutation of the virus and the systemic failures in contact tracing. Outlets with a center right lean focus more on the logistical challenges of the response and the specific threat of the virus spreading to urban centers via river travel.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These sources highlight the scientific concern over virus mutation and the failure of contact tracing systems.
- Centre
- These sources provide a balanced overview of the medical interventions and the warnings from health officials.
- Centre-right
- These sources emphasize the speed of the spread relative to the response and the specific risk of transmission to the capital.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: WHO chief: Ebola outbreak in DRC spreading at ‘unprecedented rate’
- Centre Bloomberg: Congo Ebola Outbreak: Merck Ervebo Vaccine, Gilead Remdesivir Eyed for Wider Use
- Centre-right Business Day: DRC intercepts boat over Ebola fears
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Ebola: Africa CDC plans to use vaccine for different strain as outbreak spreads
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: WHO Director in Congo: "Ebola is spreading faster than we can react"
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: DR Congo tests over 300 passengers after suspected Ebola death on boat
- Centre-left Taipei Times: Ebola outbreak in DR Congo outpacing the response: WHO
- Centre-left Tempo English: Africa CDC to Use Vaccine for Zaire Ebola Strain as Stop-Gap
- Centre-left The Guardian: Ebola virus behind massive outbreak in DRC could be mutating, officials say
- Centre-right The Straits Times: Congo tests passengers after boat that carried suspected Ebola case intercepted near Kinshasa
93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.