RAPID GOVERNMENT RESPONSE STEMS EBOLA OUTBREAK IN GABON

26 February 1996

Press Release
H/2900

RAPID GOVERNMENT RESPONSE STEMS EBOLA OUTBREAK IN GABON

19960226 GENEVA, 23 February (WHO) -- Control measures instituted in Gabon by the Ministry of Health and an international medical team appear to be containing further spread of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the country, according to assessments by World Health Organization (WHO) team members.

The number of cases and deaths from the disease had remained essentially unchanged as of 23 February. All of the cases were reported to have originated in the village of Mayibout II, located in a remote area of northern Gabon. Additional suspected cases are currently under surveillance in the same region.

Having established sufficient control measures, the Ministry of health and international medical team are now conducting a retrospective investigation of the outbreak. This will lay the groundwork for follow-up research into how the outbreak took place, and what can be learned from it about the natural host of the Ebola virus.

In a press conference Thursday, 22 February, in Libreville, the Minister of Health, Dr. Serge Mba Bakale, said that "as soon as the Government suspected that the illness in Maibout might be due to infection with Ebola virus, and before the exact cause was known, all appropriate measures were taken to limit the outbreak".

The WHO attributes the limited spread of the outbreak in Gabon to several key factors. One was the rapid response by the Ministry of Health in recognizing the threat at an early stage and reacting appropriately. Control measures included the isolation of actual and suspected cases, which reduced the odds of secondary infection. Another important factor was a large-scale information campaign conducted by the Government to inform the public about haemorrhagic fever, its mode of transmission and ways to avoid infection.

Finally, in contrast to last year's epidemic in Zaire which struck in an urban zone, the outbreak in Gabon occurred in a rural area with low population density, a natural advantage in limiting the further spread of infection. Some sporadic secondary cases of Ebola are nevertheless expected.

Of particular concern to investigators was the possibility of secondary infections among health workers in the provincial hospital of Makokou, where

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the Ebola patients were admitted on 5 and 6 February. The 21-day incubation period is still in effect, but no health workers have manifested symptoms of the disease.

The WHO will continue to work with Ministries of health in countries at risk to strengthen their capacity for responding to suspected outbreaks of Ebola haemorrhagic fever and to ensure that appropriate materials are available for preventing spread of the disease.

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