WHO: Nearly 500 Ebola Cases Confirmed in Central Africa

•LAWMA issues advisory to Lagos health facilities

Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed in the deadly outbreak raging in central Africa, a World Health Organization (WHO) overview showed yesterday, amid mounting concern over the swelling scale of the epidemic.

The latest confirmation comes as the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) yesterday issued a precautionary advisory to health facilities and medical waste handlers across the state following reports of an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in parts of East Africa.

WHO, in its daily update on the situation yesterday, tallied 452 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak was declared three weeks ago.

In neighbouring Uganda, meanwhile, it counted 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths.

The total of 471 cases and 84 deaths, based on numbers reported by the DRC and Ugandan governments, marked a hike of 100 cases and 20 deaths from a day earlier.

The increase came amid warnings that the outbreak, which the WHO has declared an international public health emergency, could eventually swell to become the largest on record.

A top official at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that models indicated that without strong public health interventions, the current outbreak risked rivaling the scale of the 2014 West Africa epidemic, which saw over 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths.

“That scale is possible,” said Jason Asher, director of CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, during a press briefing.

Ebola, which is spread through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.

The current outbreak was declared on May 15 in northeastern DR Congo, but the virus is believed to have spread under the radar for some time beforehand.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the outbreak.

The WHO and the African CDC on Friday launched a $518‑million plan to battle the outbreak over the next six months, focusing, among other things, on boosting surveillance, laboratory testing, and infection prevention.

“The outbreak is moving fast, and we are still playing catch‑up,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

“We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighbouring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear,” he said.

“This is a serious outbreak, and it’s one we know how to stop, but we need to move fast and together.”

Meanwhile, LAWMA has issued a precautionary advisory to health facilities and medical waste handlers across the state following reports of an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in parts of East Africa.

Its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the advisory was aimed at ensuring health facilities, medical waste handlers, transporters and treatment operators remain vigilant and comply with infection prevention and medical waste management protocols.

According to a statement shared by the Lagos State Government yesterday, Gbadegesin stressed that there were currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Lagos State or anywhere in Nigeria.

“Although there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola in Lagos or Nigeria, preparedness remains one of the most effective tools in disease prevention.

We are therefore urging all health facilities and licensed medical waste operators to strengthen infection prevention and control measures and ensure strict compliance with approved medical waste management protocols,” he said.

He said medical waste management plays a critical role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protecting healthcare workers, patients, waste handlers and the wider public.

The advisory directed health facilities to reinforce infection prevention measures, including proper hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, safe handling of medical specimens, environmental decontamination and strict segregation of infectious waste at source.

LAWMA also urged medical waste handlers and transporters to adhere to approved collection, transportation, treatment and disposal procedures for infectious waste and ensure the consistent use of protective equipment during operations.

Gbadegesin said the authority would continue monitoring compliance and engaging stakeholders to maintain high standards of medical waste management across the state.

He urged health institutions to review their infection prevention protocols and promptly report any suspected public health concerns through appropriate channels.

The LAWMA boss added that Lagos State remained on high alert and would continue to sustain surveillance, preparedness and response measures to safeguard public health.