Aid group seeks help fighting plague in Congo

Plague

Jun 26, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The medical aid group Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) appealed for help last week in the fight to control the outbreak of pneumonic plague in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a Jun 22 statement, the group said 22 deaths had been attributed to the disease out of 144 cases identified as of Jun 19 in the Rethy and Linga health zones in the northeastern DRC. The outbreak has affected 12 health zones with a total population of almost 100,000, the statement said.

"MSF is very concerned about the weak mobilization of other aid actors in the area, particularly when it comes to active case finding and vector control, two imperative measures that need to be implemented when dealing with this type of situation," the group said. "Pneumonic plague is extremely contagious and is an airborne disease."

Jerome Souquet, the MSF's head of mission in the Ituri district, warned there was an urgent need for help in identifying cases and tracing contacts of suspected cases. "Otherwise, we could soon be confronted with an outbreak spiraling out of control," he said. "We can already note a spread of the epidemic outbreak to new areas in the last few days."

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Jun 14 that it had received reports of 100 deaths due to suspected pneumonic plague in the DRC. However, the WHO later quietly revised the statement to say that 100 suspected cases had been reported in the Ituri district, with 19 deaths.

The Ituri district is the most active site of human plague outbreaks in the world, with about 1,000 cases a year, according to the WHO. The current outbreak began in the Linga health zone district in mid-May, the agency said.

MSF said it was concerned that, without more control measures, the outbreak could spread to some areas where access is limited because of security problems.

The group has set up two isolation centers for treating plague patients in the Rethy and Linga health zones. The organization runs a hospital in Bunia, capital of Ituri.

See also:

Jun 14 WHO statement
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_06_14/en/index.html

This week's top reads

  1. Vietnam reports H5N1 avian flu case with encephalitis

    Tests on respiratory samples were negative, but results were positive for the cerebrospinal fluid sample.

    Lisa Schnirring
    ICU monitors

  2. Studies detail high rates of long COVID among healthcare, dental workers

    The most common symptom reported by healthcare workers was fatigue.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    health worker in mask

  3. CIDRAP launches Vaccine Integrity Project to help safeguard US vaccine use

    The steering committee will make recommendations on how non-governmental groups can help ensure that vaccine use is evidence-based.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    MMR vaccine vial on table

  4. Tick-borne meat allergy may be related to urbanization in mid-Atlantic US

    The study identified open-space development and low population density as risk factors for Alpha-gal syndrome. 

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Lone star tick

  5. US measles cases climb higher, approach 900

    Thirty states have cases, and 83% of infections are part of outbreaks, the largest centered  in West Texas.

    Lisa Schnirring
    young boy with measles

  6. New agreement geared toward universal avian flu vaccine

    The mRNA vaccine targets all major clades of the H5 avian flu subtype.

    Stephanie Soucheray

  7. Quick takes: Mpox outbreak in Malawi, more H5N1 in Idaho and California dairy cows

    The cases in Malawi bring the number of African countries affected by mpox to 23.

    Lisa Schnirring

  8. USDA withdraws proposal to reduce Salmonella in poultry

    The Biden-era rule would have prevented the sale of raw chicken or turkey with certain levels or strains of Salmonella.

    Chris Dall
    Raw poultry in processing plant

  9. Top virologists urge world leaders to act on rising avian flu threat

    Global Virus Network scientists highlight the need for robust surveillance, enhanced biosecurity, and readiness for potential human-to-human viral transmission.

    Mary Van Beusekom

  10. 'On the precipice of disaster': Measles may be endemic in 25 years if vaccine uptake stays low, model predicts

    A 10% decline in vaccine uptake could lead to 11.1 million cases of the highly contagious illness in that timeframe.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Measles virus

Our underwriters