According to the Ministry of Health, the WHO Director-General declared a public health emergency of international concern on May 17 over the outbreak of a disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Bundibugyo is a rare strain of the Ebola virus for which no licensed vaccine or treatment is currently available.
WHO Representative in Viet Nam Angela Pratt said that as of May 21, 85 confirmed cases had been reported in the two countries, including two in Uganda, with 10 confirmed deaths. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 746 suspected cases and 176 suspected deaths had been recorded.
WHO has assessed the outbreak risk as very high at the national level in the two affected countries, high across Africa, and low globally, including in Viet Nam. The organisation stressed that the outbreak does not constitute a pandemic emergency, she noted.
According to her, in recent days, Viet Nam’s Ministry of Health has intensified risk communication efforts to provide official information to the public about the disease situation and prevention and control measures. The National Centrefor Health Communication and Education under the Ministry of Health conducted an interview with the WHO Representative in Viet Nam regarding the disease situation and preparedness efforts.
The WHO Office in Viet Nam is supporting the Ministry of Health by providing updated outbreak information and technical guidance on surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, clinical management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, travel and border control, and emergency response.
The organisation is also assisting Viet Nam in conducting a rapid risk assessment and organising additional training courses on disease surveillance, infection prevention and clinical management, Angela Pratt said, adding WHO is committed to working closely with Viet Nam in these efforts.
