The Democratic Republic of Congo now has 550 confirmed cases and 101 confirmed deaths as of June 7, the CDC reported.
Here is the latest on the Ebola outbreak.
1. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization launched a joint continental preparedness and response plan for the ongoing Ebola outbreak. The six-month plan aims to raise $518 million to support African countries to prepare for, detect and respond to the outbreak, according to a June 5 news release.
“The only way to beat this outbreak is through close partnership, working together under the leadership of the affected countries in one coordinated effort, guided by a simple principle: one plan, one budget, one team,” Tedros Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO director-general said in the release. “Containing Ebola depends on political commitment, sustained financing and the trust and engagement of communities. This plan places communities at the center, because without their participation, contact tracing falters, safe care is delayed and transmission continues.”
2. The European Union is sending an additional $16.5 million to support Ebola outbreak containment efforts. Of that, $6.5 million will be used to strengthen the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative, which will train healthcare workers and improve surveillance through diagnostics, $5 million will go to WHO to strengthen surveillance and access to supplies, and $5 million will be sent in testing equipment.
3. The International Rescue Committee said restrictions on movement of humanitarian supplies into Congo have put health workers and patients at risk amid the outbreak. Temporary border closures in Uganda and Rwanda, where supplies are typically sourced, along with insecure transport routes have caused supply delays. Without adequate protective equipment and hygiene supplies, workers cannot safely treat patients or mitigate exposure, the committee said. The committee also estimated that at least 16 health workers have contracted Ebola so far.
4. Congo’s soccer team qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 52 years, but preparations for its first game in the tournament, hosted in the U.S. this June, have been impacted by the Ebola outbreak, Deutsche Welle reported. The team is also facing travel restrictions as the U.S. is requiring all non-citizens who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan to spend 21 days outside those countries and be symptom-free before entering the U.S. The World Cup begins June 11 and runs through July 19. It will host 48 teams and 104 matches, with 11 of the 16 host cities being inside the U.S. It’s expected to draw 5 million to 7 million international visitors to the U.S.
5. Infectious disease experts said the risk of spread is low; however, the Trump administration is reportedly pressuring Europe to increase travel restrictions and abandon the WHO’s Ebola playbook in favor of the U.S.’ tighter rules, senior officials told Axios, implying any Ebola outbreak in the U.S. would be Europe’s fault.
6. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations made a call for proposals for vaccine development against Bundibugyo virus. Soligenix, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced it is submitting an application for a protein-based thermostable subunit vaccine.
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