WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda
The outbreak has 336 suspected cases and 88 deaths, and WHO warned the rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment.
- On Sunday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern," posing risks to neighboring countries.
- Officials first identified the Bundibugyo strain in the DRC's Ituri province near Uganda and South Sudan on Friday. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected cases and 87 deaths by Saturday.
- Health officials described the outbreak as "extraordinary" because there are no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines. This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since 1976.
- Two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday and Saturday, involving patients who traveled from the DRC. The cases had no apparent links to each other, the WHO said.
- The WHO advised against closing international borders, recommending immediate isolation of confirmed cases and no international travel until 21 days after exposure. Countries should also implement cross-border screening and national disaster management mechanisms.
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125 Articles
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Voice of AlexandriaA look at major Ebola outbreaks and when the disease was first identified
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Health authorities say there is a new Ebola outbreak in the Central African country of Congo , with more than 300 suspected cases and at least 88 deaths. Cases have also been reported in neighboring Uganda.
The latest outbreak was confirmed in Ituri province in northeastern DR Congo, which borders Uganda and South Sudan.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is an emergency and has international implications, reports the World Health Organization (WHO). However, it is not a pandemic emergency, the WHO emphasizes. As of Saturday, the UN health agency reported eighty suspected deaths in the Ituri province of the DRC across at least three regions, including Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international health emergency over the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed more than 80 people. It is a highly dangerous and deadly strain of Ebola for which there is no vaccine.
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