Ebola crisis over, government says

The Ebola haemorrhagic fever, which hit the Republic of Congo's Cuvette-Ouest Department between April and July and killed around 10 people, is now over, an official of the Ministry of Health and Population said on Sunday. However, the official, a technical adviser at the ministry, Dr Jean Vivien Mombouli, said the Ebola virus remained a threat because its natural habitat was unknown and researchers had not discovered any vaccine against the virus. Ebola kills 50 percent to 90 percent of all cases. "We have declared that the epidemic was over, but our statement was mixed," he said. "The virus remains a constant threat since we have found carcasses of primates in the forests located between Odzala Park, Mambili River and Likouala River." Primates, especially gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as bats, are suspected to be "carriers of the virus". In Congo, sites close to Odzala National Park seem to be the epicentre of the circulation of the virus. Consequently, the cities of Mbomo, Itoumbi and Kellé close to the Park are considered high-risk areas. The 1.3-million-hectare park is Congo's largest. It is home to at least 415 different bird species and 100 mammal species. Up to 40,000 gorillas and 10,000 chimpanzees live in the park. "We plan to organise an awareness-campaign around the park," Mombouli said. "The park is very large and rich." Mombouli also works at the Department of Biomedical Research in the National Laboratory for Public Health. "This park shelters so many animals that the virus' circulation can last for years and even decades," he added. He said of all the Ebola epidemics that had struck Cuvette-Ouest, the last was brought under control quickly as because of effective awareness and training of medical and health professionals. However, at a meeting held on Tuesday in the capital, Brazzaville, the World Health Organization representative in Congo, Dr Alzouma Yada, said Congolese authorities had been slow to provide money to fight the epidemics. "Because of the lack of funds, we responded to the epidemics late," he said. "What we want is to set up an early warning system, a notification system and a epidemic management committee." Fighting the disease Congo's efforts to fight Ebola continue. Last week, the Ministry of Health and Population invited two experts from the US who held a weeklong conference in Brazzaville on the progress of research made to find a vaccine against Ebola. The two experts are Prof Barney Graham, a senior investigator and chief of clinical trials at the American Vaccine Research Centre, and Dr Inger Damon, the chief of the poxvirus programme at the Federation of Health Institutes dedicated to research on Ebola (Fédération des instituts de santé consacrés à la recherche sur la maladie et les moyens de lutter contre la maladie). They worked with Congolese technicians on the possibilities of Congo starting tests against Ebola. Already, Graham said, a test vaccine against Ebola had been tried on primates. "This candidate vaccine has showed some security in its use on human beings," he said. The Federation has validated a second test vaccine created by Canadian scientists. A third type of vaccine is being developed in Japan. "The Ebola virus could face at least three types of vaccines by the end of the next decade," Mombouli said. "In order to eradicate the virus, we have to control its natural habitat." He said eradication of the virus was possible. "This virus is stable. Since it is stable, we can interrupt its ecological development cycle".