Africa CDC reacts as US restricts entry from 3 African countries over Ebola outbreaks

…US implements public health measures, airport screening to protect citizens

The Africa Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) has pushed back against entry restrictions imposed by the United States on travellers from three African countries, amid a fast-spreading Ebola outbreak that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, on Tuesday sounded the alarm over the “speed and scale” of the Ebola outbreak as the number of cases and deaths continue to rise. There have been 516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases in Congo, according to a daily bulletin published by health authorities, and two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.

At least 26 deaths were recorded within 24 hours in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing to 131 the fatalities associated with the outbreak. While the WHO has admitted that the outbreak could be potentially much larger, it noted that it has not met the criteria to be tagged a pandemic.

Fast-spreading strain of Ebola in DRC

The current strain of Ebola is reportedly caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of the four types of orthoebolaviruses that cause Ebola disease in people, according to the CDC. There are currently no vaccines or drugs for the Bundibugyo virus.

Read also: Ebola cases in Congo decreasing, but high attention needed, WHO warns

Patients have reportedly experienced classic Ebola disease symptoms like fever, headache, vomiting, severe weakness, abdominal pain, nosebleeds and vomiting blood, the CDC said.

CDC also reported that most of the Ebola cases in the DRC have been in people between 20 and 39 years old, with two-thirds in female patients.

US issues entry restrictions from 3 African countries

In response to the WHO declaration, the U.S. had issued a Level Four advisory – its most severe level – warning against travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also implemented enhanced travel screening and entry restrictions on non-US passport holders who have recently travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, to prevent Ebola virus disease from entering the United States.

BBC reported that at least six Americans in the DRC are believed to have high-risk exposures and one is believed to have developed symptoms. The Centre of Disease Control (CDC)’s webpage says the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low.

Africa CDC responds

In a statement on its website, the ACDC acknowledged the sovereign responsibility of every government to protect the health and security of its people. It however noted that such generalised travel restrictions and border closures could potentially increase public health risk than reduce them.

The statement reads in part: “Africa CDC’s position is clear: generalised travel restrictions and border closures are not the solution to outbreaks. Such measures can create fear, damage economies, discourage transparency, complicate humanitarian and health operations, and divert movement toward informal and unmonitored routes – potentially increasing public health risks rather than reducing them.”

“The fastest path to protecting all countries in the world is to aggressively support outbreak control at the source,” said H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General. “Global health security cannot be achieved through borders alone. It is achieved through partnership, trust, science and rapid investment in preparedness and response capacity.”

The ACDC referenced the earlier West African Ebola outbreak, when solutions were disclosed when an American doctor was infected, even though thousands of Africans had already died without support. The body urged countries around the globe to join hands to find a solution to the virus, rather than simply imposing restrictions to preserve their own interests.

“This current Ebola outbreak highlights a deeper structural injustice in global health innovation: the Bundibugyo Ebolavirus was identified nearly two decades ago, yet no licensed vaccines or therapeutics specific to this strain exist today. Africa CDC believes that if this disease had predominantly threatened wealthier regions of the world, medical countermeasures would likely already be available.”