The UAE has sent medical equipment and vaccines to central Africa, in support of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak as cases continue to climb.
The supplies, delivered through the UAE Aid Agency, arrived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to bolster the World Health Organisation's efforts to limit the spread of the virus.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, said the virus remained out of control, with 136 deaths and 689 cases confirmed according to DRC health authorities.
Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, UAE Minister of State, said the commitment to provide urgent relief to curb the impact of Ebola was part of the UAE’s humanitarian mission and global responsibility.
“The UAE is determined to extend its support in combating diseases and epidemics that threaten humanity anywhere, in co-ordination with governments, international organisations, and relevant regional institutions,” he said.
"Reports and data from the WHO have demonstrated the seriousness of the active spread of Bundibugyo cross-border Ebola virus strain.
“This necessitates a doubling of international efforts to prevent its transmission among different age groups in Africa, a goal the UAE is working on in partnership with various governments and UN organisations."
Regional risk remains low
The risk of infections reaching the UAE remains extremely low, thanks to some of the world’s most advanced disease monitoring and contact-tracing systems.
But Dubai is playing a role in the containment efforts in Africa, with the regional office for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) assisting colleagues in affected health zones inside the DRC and Uganda to map out the spread of the virus.
Challenges facing the WHO in containment include the difficulty of isolating and monitoring contacts of infected individuals and community messaging.
Cases have been identified in a zone spanning from Aru, in the north of the DRC's Ituri province, to Miti Murhesa in South Kivu, about 1,000 kilometres away.
While there is no current vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, efforts are under way to develop new medical solutions.
In the US, $50 million in funding has been set aside to help Africa's treatment and prevention programmes.
Donations from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) will support laboratory studies and clinical trials, as well as manufacturing for candidate medicines for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The Cepi said it had already committed more than $60 million to support a portfolio of four vaccine candidates under development, and is evaluating other options.
Those leading the response in Africa have said many youngsters in the region are malnourished and unvaccinated against preventable illness, leaving them extremely vulnerable to disease.
“Every day, cases are being identified in new health zones,” said Dr Olivier le Polain, who leads epidemiology and analytics at the World Health Organisation. He added that 34 health zones now had recorded cases of Ebola.
“And that reflects really the scale of this outbreak, a scale that is much bigger than what is being detected and the high mobility of the population in this part of the DRC.”
More than one in five infections of Ebola are also “zero dose” children, meaning they have never had their first diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine.
Insufficient tracking data has left problems in estimating the number of children potentially affected.
Vulnerable children
Previous outbreaks have shown children make up the majority of deaths.
Despite that, and the fact that Ebola transmits differently from viruses such as Covid-19, schools remain open.
“Infection prevention and control measures do have to be taken – and there does have to be education within the school – amongst the teachers and the staff and amongst the children,” said Dr le Polain.
“We're now at just over 70 per cent in terms of the contacts that are being appropriately traced.
“That's a huge improvement from where we were about a week or two ago, but it's still too low to ensure appropriate control.”
