India has sent emergency pharmaceutical supplies to support efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Congo, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.
In a social media post, the Africa CDC said the consignment donated by India was received in Uganda by its Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre.
The supplies include diagnostics, therapeutics, infection prevention and control materials, and case management support that will be deployed in affected communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Africa CDC welcomes the arrival of emergency pharmaceutical supplies generously donated by the Government and people of India to support the ongoing response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC,” the agency said.
It also thanked India for its “continued support and commitment to protecting lives and advancing health security across the continent”.
The Bundibugyo strain is one of six known species of the Ebola virus and was first identified in Uganda in 2007. According to the World Health Organisation, there are currently no approved drugs or vaccines specifically for the Bundibugyo strain.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
The virus can spread to humans through contact with infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, and forest antelopes found ill or dead in rainforest regions.
India has expanded its health partnerships with African countries in recent years through the supply of medicines, vaccines, and medical assistance during public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17.
As of Tuesday, more than 1,000 suspected infections and at least 220 deaths had been reported, including seven confirmed cases in Uganda. The WHO and aid agencies have warned that the actual scale of the outbreak could be significantly higher.