Photo by WHO Health worker in Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo. Three new cases of Ebola infection detected in Uganda Health
On Saturday, at the close of the 79th World Health Assembly, the head of the WHO called on countries to step up international cooperation in combating outbreaks of deadly diseases.
The world remains vulnerable to infections
Speaking in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the outbreaks of Ebola and hantavirus demonstrated that the world remains vulnerable to rapidly spreading infections.
In this regard, he emphasized that it is necessary to complete as soon as possible the development of the critical annex to the Pandemic Agreement regarding the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS). Once the application is approved, the agreement will be open for signature and ratification.
New cases of Ebola in Uganda
The WHO chief’s call comes amid reports on Saturday of three new cases of infection with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no cure or vaccines.
“The three new cases are a Ugandan medical worker, a driver, and a citizen of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who arrived for treatment from Ituri province. Thus, the total number of people in Uganda who have tested positive for Ebola fever caused by the Bundibugyo virus has increased to five,” Ghebreyesus wrote online X.
A day earlier – on Friday – the head of the WHO said that the situation in Uganda, where at that time only two cases of Ebola were officially registered, remained stable.
© UNICEF/P. Shamvami Humanitarian supplies intended to help Ebola patients.
“At this critical stage of the outbreak response, authorities need to remain extremely vigilant to contain the spread of the virus,” Ghebreyesus wrote on Saturday.
According to him, WHO is now working closely with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and partners in the DRC and Uganda. The goal of joint work is to localize the outbreak, provide medical care to those sick and coordinate common actions.
Recall that the current Ebola outbreak was registered last Saturday in the DRC, after which cases of infection were also identified in Uganda. On Friday, the WHO raised the threat level for the DRC to “very high”, although the global risk is still assessed as “low”. This statement echoed the theses voiced at the Assembly that global health security directly depends on the collective efforts of countries and international cooperation.
Following the results of a week-long work, WHO member states adopted resolutions on a number of critical priorities in the health sector, including tuberculosis control, stroke prevention and treatment, radiation diagnostics, pharmacovigilance and drug safety, as well as transplantation and liver disease treatment.
Countries also agreed to reform the global health architecture. This process will take place under the auspices of WHO and under the leadership of Member States themselves. Its goal is to improve international coordination during health crises.