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Ebola Infects Doctors Without Borders Worker in Congo Outbreak
A worker helping sick people in Congo caught Ebola.
The worker is being taken to the Netherlands for medical care.
Doctors and officials are using special safety procedures during the evacuation.
Many other health workers have also become sick or died.
Congo has reported thousands of infections and deaths in this outbreak.
A hospital in Montreal also isolated a patient with possible Ebola symptoms.
The hospital said the public was not known to be at risk.
Health officials said the outbreak is still difficult to control because many new cases are not on contact lists.
A Doctors Without Borders worker contracted Bundibugyo virus disease while assisting Congo’s Ebola response.
The worker is being evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment under strict medical protocols.
About 254 health workers have been infected and 50 have died during the outbreak.
Congo has recorded 8,224 confirmed infections and 3,982 deaths since May.
Officials said nearly 80% of new infections involve people not already on contact lists.
- Who
- A Doctors Without Borders worker contracted Bundibugyo virus disease; Congolese and Dutch health authorities are coordinating the evacuation.
- What
- The infected aid worker is being evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Netherlands for treatment.
- Where
- The infection occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the worker is being evacuated to the Netherlands.
- When
- The evacuation was announced Thursday; outbreak figures cited in the report were recorded through Sept. 29.
- Why
- The worker contracted the disease while helping respond to Congo’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak.
Concerns About Containment
Evidence of Ongoing Response
Is the outbreak under control?
Concerns About Containment
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention official Wessam Mankoula said responders cannot confidently say the outbreak is under control, citing new infections outside contact lists and limited contact reach.
Evidence of Ongoing Response
Congo reported following 79% of listed contacts on Sept. 29, while health authorities and aid organizations continue expanding the response.
Public risk from the Montreal case
Concerns About Containment
The Montreal hospital isolated a patient with symptoms consistent with Ebola and activated infection-control protocols while the case was investigated.
Evidence of Ongoing Response
The hospital said there was no identified risk to the public, and the report did not state that the patient had tested positive for Ebola.
Key facts
- Infected aid worker
- A Doctors Without Borders worker tested positive for Bundibugyo virus disease.
- Treatment location
- The worker is being evacuated to the Netherlands.
- Health worker toll
- About 254 health workers have been infected and 50 have died since the outbreak began.
- Congo case total
- The country has recorded 8,224 confirmed infections and 3,982 deaths.
- Recent reported figures
- On Sept. 29, 53 new cases and 28 deaths were recorded.
- Contact tracing
- Almost 80% of new infections were detected among people not already on contact lists.
- Montreal case
- A hospital isolated a patient with symptoms consistent with Ebola and said there was no identified public risk.
Quotes
Wessam Mankoula
Leader of a joint Africa CDC–World Health Organization incident management support team
“We cannot confidently say the outbreak is under control at this stage”
livemint.com
Sources
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