This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/aug/01/rwanda-closes-border-with-dr-congo-over-deadly-ebola-outbreak-goma
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Rwanda closes border with DRC over deadly Ebola outbreak | Rwanda closes border with DRC over deadly Ebola outbreak |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a deadly Ebola outbreak that started a year ago has killed more than 1,803 people. | Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a deadly Ebola outbreak that started a year ago has killed more than 1,803 people. |
| The closure came after a second death linked to the Ebola virus was confirmed on Wednesday in the densely populated Congolese city of Goma, which is on the porous border with Rwanda. | The closure came after a second death linked to the Ebola virus was confirmed on Wednesday in the densely populated Congolese city of Goma, which is on the porous border with Rwanda. |
| The World Health Organization, which declared the DRC outbreak a global health emergency last month, has recommended against travel or trade restrictions. It has also said the risk of regional spread was “very high”. | The World Health Organization, which declared the DRC outbreak a global health emergency last month, has recommended against travel or trade restrictions. It has also said the risk of regional spread was “very high”. |
| The DRC presidency’s office said it regretted what it described as a unilateral decision by the Rwandan authorities to restrict movement at the border, “which runs counter to the advice of the World Health Organization”. | The DRC presidency’s office said it regretted what it described as a unilateral decision by the Rwandan authorities to restrict movement at the border, “which runs counter to the advice of the World Health Organization”. |
| Earlier on Thursday, a DRC official said the one-year-old daughter of the man who died on Wednesday was at a treatment centre after showing signs of the disease. He had spent several days at home with his family while showing symptoms. | |
| If this suspected case is confirmed, it could be the first transmission of Ebola in this outbreak inside Goma, a city of more than 2 million people and a major transport hub that shares the border with the Rwandan city of Gisenyi, which has a population of more than 85,000. | If this suspected case is confirmed, it could be the first transmission of Ebola in this outbreak inside Goma, a city of more than 2 million people and a major transport hub that shares the border with the Rwandan city of Gisenyi, which has a population of more than 85,000. |
| With more than 2,577 confirmed cases and more than 1,803 confirmed deaths, the outbreak in the eastern DRC is the second largest in history. It has a 67% fatality rate and 11 months after it began, the case numbers are still escalating. It is disproportionately affecting women (55% of cases) and children (28%). | With more than 2,577 confirmed cases and more than 1,803 confirmed deaths, the outbreak in the eastern DRC is the second largest in history. It has a 67% fatality rate and 11 months after it began, the case numbers are still escalating. It is disproportionately affecting women (55% of cases) and children (28%). |
| The WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency in July 2019. The same month saw the the first diagnosis of a case in Goma, a city of 2 million people, which is a transport hub on the border with Rwanda. In early August Rwanda announced that it was closing its border with DRC. | The WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency in July 2019. The same month saw the the first diagnosis of a case in Goma, a city of 2 million people, which is a transport hub on the border with Rwanda. In early August Rwanda announced that it was closing its border with DRC. |
| The WHO has long said that the national and regional risk levels are very high and containment of the spread to North Kivu and Ituri provinces was unlikely, unless a break in the fighting made it safe for health workers. | The WHO has long said that the national and regional risk levels are very high and containment of the spread to North Kivu and Ituri provinces was unlikely, unless a break in the fighting made it safe for health workers. |
| Ebola hemorrhagic fever is caused by a virus that has a reservoir among forest animals, including monkeys and bats. It is spread through body fluids, which is why carers – mostly female relatives and nursing staff – are particularly at risk. It causes fever, aches and diarrhoea and attacks the immune system, causing blood clotting cells to malfunction so that victims bleed extensively and die if their immune system cannot fight off the viral infection. | Ebola hemorrhagic fever is caused by a virus that has a reservoir among forest animals, including monkeys and bats. It is spread through body fluids, which is why carers – mostly female relatives and nursing staff – are particularly at risk. It causes fever, aches and diarrhoea and attacks the immune system, causing blood clotting cells to malfunction so that victims bleed extensively and die if their immune system cannot fight off the viral infection. |
| Drugs are still experimental. Patients are isolated and treated by nurses wearing full protective body suits and masks who try to boost their immune response. Friends and relatives are quarantined for 21 days. Prevention measures include washing hands at every opportunity and safe burial practices, with no touching or washing of the body, as is traditional in some cultures. | Drugs are still experimental. Patients are isolated and treated by nurses wearing full protective body suits and masks who try to boost their immune response. Friends and relatives are quarantined for 21 days. Prevention measures include washing hands at every opportunity and safe burial practices, with no touching or washing of the body, as is traditional in some cultures. |
| The 2013 and 2016 outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea spread for months through forest regions in west Africa where Ebola was unknown before the emergency was recognised. It escalated when it emerged in towns and cities, with 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths. | The 2013 and 2016 outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea spread for months through forest regions in west Africa where Ebola was unknown before the emergency was recognised. It escalated when it emerged in towns and cities, with 28,600 cases and 11,300 deaths. |
| DRC successfully stamped out nine previous Ebola outbreaks in rural areas within a matter of a few months. Aid agencies, infectious disease experts and the WHO say it will be very hard to bring this outbreak under control, even though they have had vaccines and experimental drugs from the outset. | DRC successfully stamped out nine previous Ebola outbreaks in rural areas within a matter of a few months. Aid agencies, infectious disease experts and the WHO say it will be very hard to bring this outbreak under control, even though they have had vaccines and experimental drugs from the outset. |
| There is almost no functioning state in much of eastern DRC. There is an almost total lack of basic services such as power, education, roads, healthcare, and the authority of the government only extends to the edges of urban areas. | There is almost no functioning state in much of eastern DRC. There is an almost total lack of basic services such as power, education, roads, healthcare, and the authority of the government only extends to the edges of urban areas. |
| Police are corrupt, predatory and violent. In rural zones, militia and armed bands provide security and employment opportunities but also steal, rape and kill at will. It is one of the most hostile environments faced by aid and health workers anywhere in the world. | Police are corrupt, predatory and violent. In rural zones, militia and armed bands provide security and employment opportunities but also steal, rape and kill at will. It is one of the most hostile environments faced by aid and health workers anywhere in the world. |
| Mistrust of officials and foreigners is harming efforts to tackle the disease and conspiracy theories are rampant. Some believe the outbreak is fake news spread by rapacious NGOs and the UN to justify their presence in the country and allow the extraction of valuable mineral resources. | Mistrust of officials and foreigners is harming efforts to tackle the disease and conspiracy theories are rampant. Some believe the outbreak is fake news spread by rapacious NGOs and the UN to justify their presence in the country and allow the extraction of valuable mineral resources. |
| Sarah Boseley and Jason Burke | Sarah Boseley and Jason Burke |
| Cross-frontier links are intense. Many people have jobs on the other side of the border while others have homes or put their children in schools in the neighbouring city. | Cross-frontier links are intense. Many people have jobs on the other side of the border while others have homes or put their children in schools in the neighbouring city. |
| Health experts fear outbreaks of contagious diseases in major cities. In an urban setting, density of population, anonymity and high mobility make it far harder to isolate patients and trace contacts compared to the countryside. | Health experts fear outbreaks of contagious diseases in major cities. In an urban setting, density of population, anonymity and high mobility make it far harder to isolate patients and trace contacts compared to the countryside. |
| The painstaking work of finding, tracking and vaccinating people who had contact with the man who died on Wednesday and the contacts of those contacts has begun. | The painstaking work of finding, tracking and vaccinating people who had contact with the man who died on Wednesday and the contacts of those contacts has begun. |
| The escalating crisis has led to a row within the DRC’s health ministry, which is co-ordinating national efforts to contain the spread of the virus. | The escalating crisis has led to a row within the DRC’s health ministry, which is co-ordinating national efforts to contain the spread of the virus. |
| Last week the DRC’s health minister, Oly Ilunga Kalenga, resigned in protest against the country’s handling of the Ebola outbreak. He said international agencies were pressuring his government to allow the testing of a new vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson. The row over the vaccine trials began after Ilunga reportedly banned clinical trials of the new vaccine in DRC. | |
| Ebola vaccines are difficult to develop because they have to be tested during outbreaks. | Ebola vaccines are difficult to develop because they have to be tested during outbreaks. |
| In the previous outbreak in west Africa, one vaccine, produced by Merck, was successfully trialled in Guinea. The success of that trial meant preventative Merck vaccines could be given to citizens in the DRC and potentially contain the outbreak. | In the previous outbreak in west Africa, one vaccine, produced by Merck, was successfully trialled in Guinea. The success of that trial meant preventative Merck vaccines could be given to citizens in the DRC and potentially contain the outbreak. |
| Ilunga has argued trialling vaccines in Ebola-affected regions could erode public trust in the government. | Ilunga has argued trialling vaccines in Ebola-affected regions could erode public trust in the government. |
| Ebola in the DRC: everything you need to know | Ebola in the DRC: everything you need to know |
| Merck’s vaccine requires only a single shot, whereas Johnson & Johnson’s new vaccine has to be taken in two doses. | Merck’s vaccine requires only a single shot, whereas Johnson & Johnson’s new vaccine has to be taken in two doses. |
| Officials and NGOs fear discrepancies in the vaccination schedules – with some people getting one shot and others two – could fuel rumours about the vaccines in local communities. | Officials and NGOs fear discrepancies in the vaccination schedules – with some people getting one shot and others two – could fuel rumours about the vaccines in local communities. |
| Ilunga also said delivering two doses would be logistically difficult in a region where there was a high rate of displacement. | Ilunga also said delivering two doses would be logistically difficult in a region where there was a high rate of displacement. |
| Last week Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas to people from DRC while citing the Ebola outbreak, shortly before the annual hajj pilgrimage there this month. | Last week Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas to people from DRC while citing the Ebola outbreak, shortly before the annual hajj pilgrimage there this month. |
| Global development | Global development |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Rwanda | Rwanda |
| Ebola | Ebola |
| Africa | Africa |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |