About 25% Of DRC Ebola Cases Go Undetected, WHO Estimates; U.S. Experts, Lawmakers Call For More Effort To End Outbreak

Associated Press: U.N. says about 25% of Ebola cases could be going undetected
“The World Health Organization says it may be missing a quarter of all Ebola cases in eastern Congo as violent unrest complicates detection. That estimate by WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan on Thursday comes after aid groups expressed concern this week that the rate of new cases has been picking up speed…” (6/6).

CIDRAP News: No ‘reset’ with Ebola outbreak, WHO official says
“…Ryan said the outbreak’s reproduction rate is 1.04, meaning that every Ebola case begets one additional case. That means transmission is flat, not increasing, but also not decreasing significantly. Throughout the press conference, Ryan called the outbreak complex. In addition to the security challenges in the region, he said certain health-seeking behavior and community death practices have contributed to the outbreak’s longevity…” (Soucheray, 6/6).

Homeland Preparedness News: Experts call on U.S. government for additional Ebola response
“…USAID is working with the new United Nations Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator to bolster security for non-militarized humanitarian approaches. They are also coordinating with the CDC to implement operational improvements in public health response, including a forward-leaning vaccine strategy. The CDC is cooperating with WHO to support vaccination. … However, government policy may stifle CDC and other humanitarian efforts. … [U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)] on June 4 introduced the Ebola Eradication Act of 2019, H.R. 3085, to authorize USAID to assist with the Ebola efforts in the DRC. The same-named Senate bill, S. 1340, was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) on May 7…” (Adrien, 6/6).

STAT: WHO sees progress in Ebola response, but others see a grimmer reality
“…Ryan pushed back against the call for a total reset, saying that’s not an option available to the response. ‘Adapt, yes. Learn, yes. Change things, yes,’ Ryan said. ‘I’ve been through a lot of Ebola and other outbreaks. There are no magic bullets. There are no unicorns. It’s just hard work and learning from what we do’…” (Branswell, 6/6).

Additional coverage of the DRC Ebola outbreak and response is available from Axios, BBC News, CNN, and Reuters.

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