Full transcript
[00:05.1]
Hi, my name is Benjamin Olson with the Everbridge Global Insight Team and in today’s Rapid Resilience Briefing we are looking at the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda and why it matters for travel, public health response and major event planning. As of May 26, the outbreak is centered within the eastern DRC, including Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
[00:26.9]
Uganda has also reported seven confirmed cases, including one death, with all cases linked to travel in known contacts in the drc. Sources are also reporting possible Rwanda Ebola cases as well linked to the drc.
[00:42.0]
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but not a pandemic emergency. They also assess the risk as very high nationally, high regionally and low globally. The outbreak involves the rare Bunding Bugyo strain of Ebola.
[01:01.3]
Even though Ebola is endemic for Central Africa. By having over 10 outbreaks of Ebola in the past, this ongoing strain matters due to there being no licensed vaccine or approved targeted treatment for this strain, which could take several months for development and then later deployment.
[01:18.2]
DRC has reported more than over 1000 suspected cases in over 220 confirmed deaths. Counts are likely to rise though as authorities continue to identify infections that have occurred before detection. Containment is a problem for this virus.
[01:37.3]
Armed group activity which include 23 rebels controlling parts of north and South Kivu provinces. Displacement, weak roads, mining, linked movement and limited laboratory capacity are slowing testing, contact tracing, isolation and supply delivery.
[01:54.3]
Local restrictions are in place though for Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu provinces in including travel controls, visitation limits and gathering restrictions which are adding further movement and exit constraints, but is hoping to limit the spread of the virus.
[02:12.7]
Ebola is not airborne. It spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, containment materials or unsafe handling of bodies. The main concern here is regional transmission through healthcare setting, burials, family contact and cross border movement.
[02:29.6]
The international response is also more constrained than in past outbreaks. During the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, the CDC and the WHO worked closely with broad US support. This time coordination is more fragmented following US withdrawal from the who, the dismantling of US aid and the reduction in global public health funding.
[02:54.3]
Travel controls are already tightening. The US has implemented enhanced screening for travel with a recent presence in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan. Within 21 days. Affected travelers are being rerouted through designated airports including Washington, Dulles, Atlanta and Houston.
[03:11.3]
Drc, Uganda and South Sudan have also been part of a regional coordination plan while Rwanda and other neighboring countries have increased border and Airport screening. The State Department has listed the DRC and Uganda as level four do not travel.
[03:28.0]
Bahrain, Jordan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and others have issued entry restrictions, travel alerts and symptom monitoring guidance. African CDC has also warned that 10 additional African nations are at risk including Rwanda and South Sudan.
[03:45.7]
The main issue here via travel is not a shutdown of global movement, but it’s the expanding of screening, monitoring and documentation that can create route changes, entry delays, visa frictions and quarantine related disruption, especially with global events about to take place.
[04:05.2]
Major events are already being affected. India and the African Union have postponed the 4th India African Forum Summit expected in New Delhi from from May 28 to the 31st, citing the evolving public health situation for the World cup expected in one month time.
[04:22.8]
The concern is operational. Players, staff, media, sponsors and fans linked to these affected nations could face screening, rerouting, visa complications, monitoring requirements or quarantine related delays, especially for the DRC who has qualified for this tournament.
[04:40.7]
For organizations, the highest exposure here is the Eastern drc, Uganda border areas and linked regional routes. Healthcare, humanitarian, mining, logistics, aviation, media, tourism and event support operations face the most direct disruption risks near term.
[04:58.2]
Expect rising case counts, tighter screening, more broader friction and the disruption to travel dependent activity. So what should organizations be doing? Review travel approval for the drc, Uganda and other linked regional corridors, validate medical evacuation and quarantine protocols, confirm health screening and symptom reporting procedures and stress test staffing, logistics and vendor continuity especially for upcoming World cup related travel.
[05:27.5]
In short, this is a serious regional Ebola emergency, but not currently a global pandemic threat. The main business risk here is operational disruption across travel, diplomacy, sports planning and field activity. We will be continuing to monitor and provide updates as a risk landscape evolves.
[05:46.7]
Thank you.
