Tag: Democratic Republic of Congo

Jaipur: IT Sleuths Detain Congo-Based Indian Businessman Accused of Embezzlement

The case relates to the embezzlement of at least $138 million of public funds between 2013 and 2018 from Congo.

New Delhi: Income tax sleuths on Monday, February 6, detained Harish Jagtani, an Indian-origin Congo-based businessman, in Jaipur in connection with a multi-million dollar embezzlement scandal that rocked the African nation in November 2021.

Income tax officials in Jaipur have confirmed that Jagtani, a businessman who arrived in New Delhi recently along with an official delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is being searched.

“He was brought to Jaipur for questioning as there are cases registered against him here. Our team that is posted in Gurgaon was roped in to carry out the search,” an IT official told The Wire.

Jagtani was brought to Jaipur from Delhi on Saturday and his properties in places like Tilak Nagar were searched.

The case relates to the embezzlement of at least $138 million of public funds between 2013 and 2018 from Congo. The funds in Congo were transferred through a subsidiary of BGFI, one of Africa’s largest banks, and made their way to companies and accounts owned by former president Joseph Kabila’s relatives and close allies. Several questionable transfers were made to Jagtani too, though he insists the funds received were for legitimate purposes.

Also read: Indian Businessman at Centre of Probe Into Multi-Million Dollar Congo Embezzlement

A consortium of media outlets and non-governmental organisations coordinated by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) investigated and analysed the information for over six months, before breaking the story in November 2021. The Wire is one of the media partners in the collaboration.

The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAF), a Paris-based anti-corruption group, and the French publication Mediapart obtained over 3.5 million documents that detail nearly 10 years of transactions at BGFI Bank Groupe SA. The leak, called the Congo Hold-up, is the biggest ever leak of financial records from Africa.

Jagtani owns multiple businesses in DR Congo including real estate firms, an air freight company and hospitals. As per investigations conducted by media partner Radio France International (RFI), Jagtani benefitted from funds that came from Congo’s central election body, Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante(CENI) and were meant for the organisation of the 2011 elections in the central African nation.

Originally from Jaipur, Jagtani arrived in Congo in 1995. He was a man of modest means at the time and worked as an employee at an import company run by an Indian trader. Back home, his mother was a schoolteacher.

In his 25 years in the DRC though, he has risen dramatically and is now among the most influential businesspersons in the country. Jagtani owns one of the largest air freight companies in Congo, the real estate firm with the most high-profile projects on its roster, a super-specialty hospital in the capital Kinshasa, and is known to be close to Kabila.

Two Indian Peacekeepers Killed in Anti-UN Protests in the DRC

A press statement from the UN mission, MONUSCO, said the attackers violently snatched weapons from government security personnel and “fired point-blank at and around peacekeeping forces”.

New Delhi: Three UN troops, including two Indian peacekeepers, were killed on Tuesday, June 26, during an attack on the base of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, where violent anti-UN protests have been going on for over two days.

India’s external affairs minister S. Jaishankar announced on Twitter that two peacekeepers, deputed from the Border Security Force to MONUSCO, had lost their lives. “The perpetrators of these outrageous attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice,” he tweeted Tuesday night.

According to a BBC report, at least ten people have died in protests against the UN peacekeeping force in the provincial capital, Goma. While seven of the dead are civilians, the others are UN personnel.

A press communique from MONUSCO noted that a peacekeeper and two members of UN Police were killed during an attack on the MONUSCO base. Another was also seriously injured.

The current UN mission, MONUSCO, took over from an earlier mission in 2010. It currently has over 17,000 personnel on ground. India is the second largest troop contributor, with 2000 personnel, after Pakistan.

Also read: India: Female Troops Take On UN Peacekeeping Missions

Indian troops have deployed in DRC as UN peacekeepers since 1960. With the latest fatalities, India has lost 53 soldiers in the central African nation.

MONUSCO stated that the attackers violently snatched weapons from government security personnel and “fired point-blank at and around peacekeeping forces”.

Asserting that this killing of the peacekeepers was unjustifiable, the press release reiterated that all its bases and installations were “inviolable under the Status of Forces Agreement between the United Nations and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SOFA), as well as the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations”.

Further, it stated that attacks against UN personnel and installations “constitute war crimes liable to proceedings before international courts”.

Also read: What Constitutes a War Crime?

BBC reported that local media had claimed the protestors were shot by peacekeepers. 

On these reports of civilian casualties, MONUSCO stated that the mission had been restrained in responding to the violent assaults on the bases. It added that MONUSCO would cooperate with competent authorities investigating the deaths.

“We must salute the professionalism and mastery of the peacekeepers who, in each of their interventions, avoided bloodshed. MONUSCO thanks the authorities, political actors and civil society for their support alongside MONUSCO in these difficult times and reiterates its message of calm and peace to the demonstrators,” said the press note.

The protest began on Monday with hundreds of people blocking roads and chanting hostile slogans before storming the UN peacekeeping mission’s headquarters and a supply base in Goma, as per an AFP report.

Indian army officials were quoted in media reports as saying that Indian peacekeepers had robustly thwarted the looting attempts “strictly in accordance with UN mandate and rules of engagement”.

The news agency said that security forces were pushing back crowds outside the depot on Tuesday as protesters waved placards bearing slogans such as “bye-bye MONUSCO”. Anti-UN protesters also took to the streets in the North Kivu towns of Beni and Butembo.

The UN mission has been regularly criticised, especially by ruling DRC government members, for not doing enough to stop the violence by armed groups.

The latest protests come after the president of the senate, Modeste Bahati, told supporters in Goma on July 15 that MONUSCO should “pack its bags.” They coincide with the resurgence of the M23 – a militia that lay mostly dormant for years before resuming fighting last November, AFP reported.

Indian officials at the UN have regularly highlighted that there has always been a mismatch over the mandate and resources at UN peacekeeping missions. 

At a March briefing of the UN Security Council on MONUSCO, India had stated that there had to be “greater clarity on the interpretation of the mandate, in respect of Force Intervention Brigade and other battalions is important”.

“This will help TCCs to have clear understanding of operations to be undertaken and to equip appropriately. It is especially important from the point of view of safety and security of peacekeepers,” said the Indian representative.

 

UNSC Watch: Vietnam Takes Over Presidency as Council Contemplates Action on Myanmar

This week the council’s deliberations were primarily dominated by the two ongoing conflicts – Syria and Myanmar.

New Delhi: In a week marked by a transition in the Security Council’s presidency, the UN’s top body in charge of international peace and security issued its third statement in two months on the situation in Myanmar, even as the decade-old conflict in Syria continues to reveal the deep fissures between the members.

Last week, the council issued three press statements – on the suicide attack against Makassar church in Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the killing of Chadian UN peacekeepers in Mali. There were also meetings on the challenges of the DRC elections and Resolution 1540 that is related to the prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

But, the council’s deliberations were primarily dominated by the two ongoing conflicts – Syria and Myanmar.

The UK had sought a meeting on Myanmar urgently following the killing of over 100 civilians on March 27. However, this time it was held under the “Any Other Business” category on March 31, which meant that its proceedings were not part of the official records of the UNSC.

Several countries made public their national statements which continued to reveal the gulf in the council on further steps to be taken to pressurise Myanmar.

India’s statement condemned the violence, but the envoy pointedly did not name the perpetrators. Instead, India was a party by consensus to the “press elements” released by the council president, Vietnam, on April 1.

India has been pushing for engagement with the Myanmar junta regime, with the visit of the UN special envoy as an initial step.

The council expressed “deep concern” at the deteriorating situation and “strongly condemned” the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators. There was, again, no mention of further steps, except that council remains “actively seized of the matter”.

At her wrap-up press conference, US’ permanent representative, Linda Thomas-Garfield, had to answer a volley of questions on Myanmar. To a query on whether the Myanmar general’s defiance showed that the council’s credibility was at stake, she disagreed. “I don’t think our credibility is at stake. We have to redouble our efforts, where we would be looking at what other things we can do”.

Also read: At UNSC Meeting on Myanmar, India ‘Condemns Violence’, But Urges ‘Engagement’ With Regime

The incoming president, Vietnam’s Dang Dinh Quy, had to also similarly field questions about the south-east nation, where the military has cracked down on protestors since the February 1 coup.

Unlike some other countries in Council, Vietnam directly condemned the violence “on civilians” and referred to the highest daily rate of fatalities on March 27. But, Vietnam is also against unilateral sanctions but did not favour punitive action against Myanmar for now.

“Number one priority now is to stop the violence. And to stop violence is to deescalate tensions, and any measures will have to take that into account for now… if it creates a favourable situation for dialogue between various sides and finds a satisfactory solution, we will support that,” he said.

On Friday, an aria-formula meeting on Myanmar is scheduled, allowing non-UNSC members to air their views.

Vietnam’s presidency will also coincide with a renewed ASEAN push to take the initiative on Myanmar by holding an urgent summit at the end of April. Both Vietnam and Myanmar are members of the regional body.

The last high-profile open debate of the US’s April 2020 presidency was on Syria’s humanitarian disaster, which marked the conflict’s tenth anniversary.

In an impassioned speech, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken rebuked council members who “all sit in these chairs and speak these words” but cannot find in their hearts the common humanity to do something. “How is that possible?  I have two young children of my own.  I suspect many members of this Council have young children or grandchildren.  I think of my kids when I think of the Syrian children we’ve heard talked about today”.

Also read: UNSC Watch: P-5 Clash Over Libya, India Worries About UN Report Leak

He called on for intensifying “cross-line and cross-border deliveries” of humanitarian aid.

Blinken also asked the council to reauthorise the Bab al-Hawa crossing between Turkey and Syria, as the validity of resolution 2533 that sets up the cross-border mechanism is due to expire in July.

The cleavage between the P-5 members is on the type of humanitarian access. While cross-border deliveries refer to humanitarian assistance from a neighbouring country into Syria, cross-line operations indicate aid convoys moving from government-held to rebel-held territories.

The US-led bloc in the council has been calling for focussing on cross-border mechanisms to reach the vulnerable population in north-west Syria. In contrast, Russian and Chinese statements focus on respect for Syrian sovereignty. Russian airstrikes last month had reportedly targeted the Bab al-Hawa border crossing. By emphasising cross-line aid operations, Moscow has been attempting to pull in western countries to deal with the Bashar al-Assad government, observers noted.

As articulated by permanent representative T.S. Tirumurti, India’s position is that there had to be an immediate engagement “consistent with Syrian independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as addresses the urgency of the humanitarian issues to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people”.

“At the same time, concrete steps need to be taken to address hurdles that are obstructing the functioning of both cross-border and cross-line operations, in particular, the delays in granting requisite approvals to humanitarian aid convoys,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the final 2021 report of the Panel of Experts monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea was made public last week.

One of their jobs was to solicit information from member states if international trade data analysis shows any transaction in prohibited items.

Also read: UNSC Watch: New President; US Puts Myanmar Front and Centre at Council 

The report states that the panel made two inquiries from India – for the period between May and December 2019 and the second for the period between January and July 2020. It says that statistics recorded imports of zinc, iron and steel products, textiles, electrical equipment, machinery, and food and agricultural items worth $1.36 million. Further, there were also exports of industrial machinery, iron and metals and vehicles worth $ 339,000.

“To both inquiries, India replied without original documents or other pertinent details that “after careful checks, we have found that there were no exports to or imports from DPRK” of prohibited items for both periods,” said the report.

In the mid-term report released in October 2020, India had told the panel that relevant Indian agencies have confirmed that no imports or exports of items and goods have taken place to or from DPRK. “..in a few instances where the goods were declared as originated from DPRK or destined for DPRK, the consignments were interdicted to verify the country of origin/destination. In all such cases, the goods were found to have actually originated from or be destined for the [Republic of Korea.]”, informed India.

This week in UNSC

The week begins with a briefing on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) on Tuesday, followed by a briefing on the Great Lakes region on April 7.

Vietnam has planned four signature events during this month. The first one – a ministerial-level open debate on mine action – will be on April 8.

What the Discovery of a New HIV Strain Means For the Pandemic

The discovery enhances scientists’ understanding of the complexity of the human immunodeficiency virus and adds detail to the already comprehensive viral picture.

The discovery of a rare new strain of HIV for the first time in nearly 20 years recently made headlines around the world.

The big question is what the discovery means for the overall response to the HIV epidemic.

A team of US researchers from Abbott, an American medical devices and health care company, led by Mary Rodgers and co-authors at the University of Missouri, announced the discovery in a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The new subtype is the first strain to be identified since guidelines for classifying new HIV strains were first established in 2000.

HIV has a multitude of different subtypes and, like other viruses, it changes (mutates) over time. This new strain is an important discovery, but it does not signify a new public health threat. It occurs rarely and can be effectively treated with existing antiretrovirals. Because antiretrovirals target characteristics of HIV that are common across all different subtypes, this new finding will not affect treatment and antiretroviral agents will still be effective as long as drug resistant mutations have not occurred.

The essence of the discovery is that it enhances scientists’ understanding of the complexity of the human immunodeficiency virus and its evolution and adds detail to the already comprehensive viral picture.

Also read: Why Does Only One Type of HIV Cause Almost All Infections in India?

Having a thorough understanding of HIV is crucial in ensuring that HIV tests are effectively detecting the virus. Deeper insights could also have a bearing on vaccine development.

Viral strains

There are two main types of HIV. HIV-1 is the most common. HIV-2 is less common and accounts for fewer infections. The strains of HIV-1 can be classified into four groups – M, N, O and P. While N, O and P are quite uncommon, group M is responsible for most of the global HIV epidemic, accounting for roughly 95% of all infections worldwide. The newly discovered strain (also known as a clade) is part of group M and has been labelled as “subtype L”.

The prevalent strain found in South Africa is known as a subtype of clade C.

One of the candidate HIV vaccine regimens currently under investigation in South Africa is designed to be effective against subtype C. It is not yet known whether, if found to be effective in this region, it will be as effective in a region with a different prevalent strain. For example, in the US the predominant strain is subtype B.

The process of confirming a new strain of any virus can be long. Three separate cases need to be identified before a new subtype can be announced. The first two cases of this new strain were found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1983 and 1990 and the third case in 2001. So while the strain has been known to scientists for 18 years, the entire genome needed to be tested for confirmation. The technology to do this did not exist at the time.

The genome sequencing technology available today allows scientists and researchers to build entire genomes at a faster rate and lower cost than ever before. To use this next-generation technology successfully, the responsible scientists had to apply new techniques that focus on the virus portion of the collected sample in order to fully sequence the genome.

From a scientific point of view, the discovery helps us stay one step ahead of a virus. Furthermore, the role that new technology played in identifying the strain serves as an important reminder of how far we have come. The innovation and advancements in technology and molecular virology should be celebrated.

Also read: World AIDS Day: Why Is It so Difficult to Fight HIV?

The fight against HIV has made some formidable gains in treatment and treatment outcomes with remarkable gains in longevity.

UNAIDS estimates that new infections have decreased by 16% from 2,1 million in 2010 to 1,7 million in 2017. Undoubtedly one of the most promising achievements is the reduction in mother-to-child transmissions around the world. But the HIV response does not favour complacency.

Emergency persists

The notion that HIV is no longer an emergent threat is one that jeopardises the work of scientists and communities who continue to drive prevention of HIV and fight against the pervading stigma. The HIV emergency is not over. The epidemic still needs vigilant attention, especially as reduction rates stall.

The ultimate solution is a working cure and preventative vaccine. The HVTN studies in South Africa are currently conducting HIV preventative vaccine trials in the hope that one day there will be an effective vaccine to prevent HIV. But until then, we need to refocus our energy on scaling up the effective treatment and prevention tools we have in hand to all those who need them.The Conversation

Linda-Gail Bekker is professor of medicine and deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

WHO Reports Sharp Rise in Global Measles Cases

The WHO blamed a steep decline in immunisations, based on an anti-vaccination campaign, for paving the way for a “huge outbreak.”



The UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday released an update on global measles cases, noting a spike in the number of cases confirmed.

The report said some 440,200 cases had been reported as of November 5, topping the 350,000 cases reported in 2018. The deadly illness, which can be easily prevented with vaccinations, is spreading in every corner of the world.

DRC posts huge numbers

The most shocking numbers were posted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which registered a total of 250,270 cases on November 17, an increase of 8,000 cases over the week prior. Some 5,110 measles-related deaths were registered in the DRC.

“The DRC outbreak is the largest outbreak worldwide. It is one of the largest that we have seen,” according to Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s immunisation department.

Also read: All Regions Except Americas See Rise in Measles: WHO Report

Elsewhere in Africa, Chad reported 25,596 cases as of November 17, affecting 94% of the country’s districts. Whereas the DRC is currently issuing vaccinations, Chad has yet to do so.

Touches every corner of the world

In the Americas, Brazil listed 11,887 cases, most of which were reported in Sao Paulo. Two outbreaks in New York state in the US have been declared over, though the WHO says other outbreaks are occurring throughout the country.

In Europe, Ukraine far outpaced other countries, reporting some 56,802 cases.

The WHO update noted that despite routine immunisation “measles continues to circulate globally due to sub-optimal vaccination coverage and population immunity gaps.”

Anti-vaccination campaign leads to sharp rise in deaths

The organisation also noted a sharp rise in the number of measles-related deaths in the island nation of Samoa.

The WHO blamed a steep decline in immunisations, based on an anti-vaccination campaign, for paving the way for a “huge outbreak.”

Also read: Over 20 Million Children Miss Measles Vaccines Triggering Outbreaks Globally: UNICEF

Measles immunisations were stopped for several months and public distrust was heightened following the deaths of two babies shortly after receiving their shots last year. Investigations revealed the vaccine was prepared for injection incorrectly.

Some 2,500 measles cases have been reported in the nation of 200,000. The WHO reports that 37 people have now died from measles in Samoa.

This article was originally published in DW. You can read it here.

Anti-Ebola Reporter Killed As New Vaccine Arrives in Congo

Health officials are struggling with increased hostility, as well as rising distrust and rejection of Ebola treatment, from the public against the latest outbreak.


A radio host who helped warn the public about the deadly Ebola virus has been stabbed to death at his home in northeast Congo, the army said on Sunday.

The motive for the killing of Papy Mahamba Mumbere in the town of Lwemba, in the troubled Ituri region, remains unknown. It came as health authorities were set to introduce a new vaccine against the disease.

The Observatory of Freedom of the Press in Africa (OLPA) also confirmed the death of the 35-year-old reporter, saying Mumbere was “savagely murdered, on the afternoon of November 2 at his home, by unidentified individuals with white weapons [knives].

“After having mutilated the journalist, the assailants also wounded his wife before setting his residence on fire,” the organization said.

OLPA has called for the authorities to conduct a “serious investigation” into the murder.

Arlette Kavugho, 40, mother of six and Ebola survivor who works as a caregiver, holds a newborn Katembo Lwayirweka whose mother died of Ebola, at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) creche for children whose families are suspected or confirmed Ebola cases, near an Ebola treatment centre in Butembo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, October 1, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Ituri, in eastern Congo and close to the border with South Sudan and Uganda, is one of the areas most affected by the latest Ebola epidemic.

First declared in August 2018, the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever has so far killed 2,185 people, according to the latest official figures.

Health officials are struggling with increased hostility from the public against the latest outbreak. Decades of violence from more than a hundred armed gangs, as well as rising distrust and rejection of Ebola treatment by some communities, is hampering attempts to eradicate the disease.

Doctors, nurses targeted

Health workers have repeatedly come under attack. A doctor with the WHo was shot dead in April in an attack on a hospital in North Kivu province. Since the start of the epidemic, a nurse and a police officer have been killed in similar circumstances.

Also read: Breakthrough Ebola Trial in Congo Achieves 90% Survival Rate

In September, militiamen torched around 20 homes of health workers fighting Ebola in the area around Mambasa.

A large part of the population refuses to believe that the disease exists. People often refuse to forgo traditional burial rites that involve kissing, washing and touching the dead body.

Kavota Mugisha Robert, a healthcare worker, who volunteered in the Ebola response, decontaminates his colleague after he entered the house of 85-year-old woman, suspected of dying of Ebola, in the eastern Congolese town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo, October 8, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Funerals can become “super-spreading events” with up to 70 people infected in a single ceremony, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with blood and contaminated body fluids. It causes hemorrhagic fever and can reach a mortality rate of 90% if not treated in time.

Second-deadliest Outbreak

This outbreak is Congo’s 10th Ebola epidemic and the second-deadliest on record after an outbreak that struck West Africa in 2014-2016, which claimed more than 11,300 lives.

The current number of cases is estimated at 3,274 (3,157 confirmed), according to official data.

Noella Masika Vinyinyi, 30, an Ebola survivor who works as a caregiver, takes care of Angeline Kalala, 1, who is suspected to be suffering from Ebola, inside the Biosecure Emergency Care Unit (CUBE) at an Ebola treatment centre (ETC) in Katwa, near Butembo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, October 3, 2019. Masika survived Ebola in June 2019. Photo: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra .

On Saturday, Congolese authorities said they had received 11,000 doses of a second anti-Ebola vaccine from Belgium, the country’s former colonial power.

The vaccine — an experimental product developed by US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson — is to be used to protect those living outside of direct Ebola transmission zones.

The article was originally published on DW. You can read it here. 

All Regions Except Americas See Rise in Measles: WHO Report

Britain is among four countries which have lost their ‘measles-free’ status.

Geneva: Every region in the world, except the Americas, is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of measles, a vaccine-preventable disease that can kill or disable children, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.

The WHO’s Kate O’Brien put the blame on weak health systems and misinformation about vaccines, and called on social media outlets and communities to make sure information about preventing the highly contagious disease was accurate.

“We are backsliding, we are on the wrong track,” O’Brien, director of WHO’s department of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals, told a news briefing.

Also read: Dear Minister: For Heaven’s Sake, Stop Peddling Pseudoscience

“We have a worrying trend that all regions are experiencing an increase in measles except for the region of the Americas, which has seen a small decline.”

Nearly three times as many cases were reported from January to July this year than in the same period in 2018, the WHO said.

Nearly 365,000 cases have been reported globally this year, the highest figure since 2006, it said, noting that they represent only a fraction of the 6.7 million suspected cases. Measles caused an estimated 109,000 deaths in 2017, its most recent figures show.

The biggest outbreaks are raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (155,460 cases), Madagascar (127,454) and Ukraine (54,246), it said.

Europe has also lost ground, with four countries stripped of their “measles-free” status in 2018 – Albania, Czech Republic, Greece and Britain, it said.

Also read: Plastic Particles in Drinking Water Present ‘Low’ Health Risk: WHO

The WHO figures did not include a specific breakdown of numbers for the Americas region.

The United States has recorded 1,215 measles cases across 30 states in its worst outbreak since 1992, federal health officials said on Monday.

Health experts say the virus has spread among school-age children whose parents declined to give them the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which confers immunity to the disease.

Trust in vaccines – among the world’s most effective and widely used medical products – is highest in poorer countries but weaker in wealthier ones where scepticism has allowed outbreaks of diseases such as measles to persist, a global study found in June.

“We do see misinformation as an increasing threat,” O’Brien said. “We are calling on social media providers, communities, leaders, people who speak out, to be sure you are communicating accurate, valid, scientifically credible information.”

In the 53 countries of Europe, 90,000 measles cases were recorded in the first half of this year, already more than that for all of 2018, said Siddhartha Datta, from the WHO’s regional office for Europe.

Ukraine, which accounts for more than half of the cases, is implementing a robust response, he said. “The ministry of health is doing targeted immunization campaigns … They are also doing school-based vaccination, high-risk vaccination of military recruits and health care workers.”

(Reuters)

Breakthrough Ebola Trial in Congo Achieves 90% Survival Rate

Two experimental drugs were developed using antibodies harvested from survivors of Ebola infection.

London: Scientists are a step closer to finding the first effective treatments for the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever after two potential drugs showed survival rate of as much as 90% in a clinical trial in Congo.

Two experimental drugs – Regeneron’s <REGN.O> REGN-EB3 and a monoclonal antibody called mAb114 – were both developed using antibodies harvested from survivors of Ebola infection.

The treatments are now going to be offered to all patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

They showed “clearly better” results in patients in a trial of four potential treatments being conducted during the world’s second largest Ebola outbreak in history, now entering its second year in DRC.

The drugs improved survival rates from the disease more than two other treatments being tested – ZMapp, made by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and Remdesivir, made by Gilead Sciences <GILD.O> – and those products will be now dropped, said Anthony Fauci, one of the researchers co-leading the trial.

The agency said 49% of the patients on ZMapp and 53% on remdesivir died in the study. In comparison, 29% of the patients on REGN-EB3 and 34% on mAb-114 died.

Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters in a telebriefing the results were “very good news” for the fight against Ebola.

“What this means is that we do now have what look like (two) treatments for a disease for which not long ago we really had no approach at all,” he said.

The agency said of the patients who were brought into treatment centres with low levels of virus detected in their blood, 94% who got REGN-EB3 and 89% on mAb114 survived.

In comparison, two-third of the patients who got remdesivir and nearly three-fourth on ZMapp survived.

Also read | ARV Breakthrough: Trial in South Africa Confirms Effectiveness of New Drug

Ebola has been spreading in eastern Congo since August 2018 in an outbreak that has now become the second largest, killing at least 1,800 people. Efforts to control it have been hampered by militia violence and some local resistance to outside help.

A vast Ebola outbreak in West Africa become the world’s largest ever when it spread through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2013 to 2016 and killed more than 11,300 people.

The Congo treatment trial, which began in November last year, is being carried out by an international research group coordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s emergencies programme, said the trial‘s positive findings were encouraging but would not be enough on their own to bring the epidemic to an end.

“The news today is fantastic. It gives us a new tool in our toolbox against Ebola, but it will not in itself stop Ebola,” he told reporters.

Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity, also hailed the success of the trial‘s findings, saying they would “undoubtedly save lives”.

“The more we learn about these two treatments, …the closer we can get to turning Ebola from a terrifying disease to one that is preventable and treatable,” he said in a statement.

“We won’t ever get rid of Ebola but we should be able to stop these outbreaks from turning into major national and regional epidemics.”

Some 681 patients at four separate treatment centres in Congo have already been enrolled in the Congo treatment clinical trial, Fauci said. The study aims to enrol a total of 725.

The decision to drop two of the trial drugs was based on data from almost 500 patients, he said, which showed that those who got REGN-EB3 or mAb114 “had a greater chance of survival compared to those participants in the other two arms”.

(Reuters)

Ebola Risk Massively Increases as it Spreads to East Congo’s Goma: UN

The first case of Ebola was reported in Goma on Sunday, raising fears that the epidemic could accelerate into one of Africa’s most densely populated areas and over the Rwanda border.

Goma: Ebola‘s arrival in eastern Congo’s main city of Goma severely raises the risk of the virus spreading if it takes root in this metropolis near the border with Rwanda, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday.

UN officials and donors met in Geneva to discuss how to tackle the world’s second worst epidemic, which has infected 2,500 people and killed 1,655 in the lush farmlands of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A toxic mix of armed militias and a deep-rooted mistrust of health officials by communities have hampered efforts to halt the virus.

Goma, a lakeside city more than 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of where the outbreak was first detected, got its first case on Sunday. This raised fears that Ebola could accelerate into one of Africa’s most densely populated areas and over the Rwanda border.

“The case in Goma could potentially be a game changer in this epidemic,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the meeting. “It is a gateway to the region and the world.”

The patient who brought Ebola to Goma was a priest who became infected during a visit to the town of Butembo, 200 km (124 miles) north of Goma, where he interacted with Ebola patients, Congo’s health ministry said in a statement.

He was taken back to a clinic in Butembo on Monday.

“Due to the speed with which the patient has been identified and isolated, as well as the identification of all bus passengers from Butembo, the risk of spreading to the rest of the city of Goma remains low,” the ministry said.

WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan said they had identified 60 contacts, including 18 who were on the bus with the priest, and half of them have been vaccinated.

Ebola workers under attack

Goma had been preparing for the arrival of Ebola for a year, setting up hand-washing stations and making sure moto-taxi drivers do not share helmets.

“There is a grave risk of a major increase in numbers, or spread to new locations – as we’ve heard today in Goma,” said Josie Golding, a specialist on epidemics at the Wellcome Trust global health charity.

Ebola causes diarrhoea, vomiting and hemorrhagic fever and can be spread through bodily fluids. An epidemic between 2013 and 2016 killed more than 11,300 people in West Africa.

While the technology for fighting it, including vaccines and special treatment units, is better than ever, trust between health workers and the community is low – and militia violence is preventing them from accessing remote areas.

Unidentified attackers killed two Ebola health workers near Mukulia in North Kivu province over the weekend, the latest in a string of assaults this year that have injured or killed dozens of responders.

“Every attack gives Ebola an opportunity to spread. Ebola gets a free ride,” Ghebreyesus said.

Apart from insecurity, the biggest challenge is money, officials said.

“If we don’t raise more resources … it is not going to be possible to bring this outbreak under control,” the UN’s humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told Reuters.

“The need is for money, not next week, or next month or later in the year. The need is for money now.”

Congo: Death Toll From Ebola Outbreak Crosses 1,000

WHO said hostility towards medical staff was making it hard to get to affected communities.

Goma/Geneva: The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in Congo rose above 1,000 on Friday, with attacks on treatment centres continuing to hamper efforts to control the “intense transmission” of the second-worst epidemic of the virus on record.

The World Health Organization said it expected the nine-month outbreak to continue spreading though the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, and announced plans to expand vaccinations in the coming weeks once a new treatment by Johnson & Johnson is approved.

The WHO is already using another experimental vaccine made by Merck.

Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said supplies were plentiful but hostility towards medical staff was making it hard to get to affected communities.

He told reporters in Geneva that 119 attacks had been documented since January, and as a result, “we are anticipating a scenario of continued intense transmission”.

More than 100,000 people have been vaccinated so far, and the treatment has been highly effective, the WHO says.

The Merck vaccine will still be used in “ring vaccination” of people exposed to the virus and their contacts, Ryan said, but the WHO is also studying use of a single dose to stretch supplies, an option experts would review on Monday.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be deployed outside the rings in surrounding areas to protect people from infection, “as a way of laying down a barrier to the virus”, Ryan said.

Congo’s Health Ministry said on Friday that 14 new Ebola deaths had been recorded, taking the toll to 1,008 deaths from confirmed and probable cases.

Only the 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa has been deadlier. More than 11,000 people died then out of 28,000 who were infected.

Despite significant medical advances since then, including the vaccine and experimental treatments, health officials have struggled to control the current outbreak because of the violence and community mistrust in eastern Congo, where dozens of militias are active.

Militiamen attacked a hospital treating Ebola patients two weeks ago, killing a senior WHO epidemiologist and wounding two others.

“The numbers are nothing short of terrifying,” said Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease specialist and director of the global health charity the Wellcome Trust.

“This epidemic will not be brought under control without a really significant shift in the response,” he said. “Community trust and safety, as well as community engagement and ownership of the response is critical.”

There was an attempted assault on an Ebola treatment facility in the city of Butembo on Thursday, but nobody was injured and the assailants were captured, the WHO’s Ryan said.