The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that he was “deeply concerned by the scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, as local authorities warned of rising death tolls.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, one of several viruses known as ortho-Ebola viruses that can cause Ebola, and is primarily affecting DRC’s remote north-eastern Ituri province.
In response to the growing epidemic, the United States on Monday activated a public health law restricting entry from the Democratic Republic of the Congo after an American citizen tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) criticized the move, saying “broad travel bans have the potential to disrupt lives and economies.”
As of Tuesday, 131 people had died in connection with the outbreak and more than 500 people were suspected of being infected, according to Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba, DRC’s Minister of Health.
Ghebreyesus said 30 cases have so far been confirmed in Ituri. Meanwhile, neighboring Uganda has also reported two laboratory-confirmed cases in the capital Kampala, according to the WHO.
On Sunday, the United Nations health agency declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” and said the high positivity rate and rising number of cases and deaths pointed to “a potentially larger outbreak.”
Ghebreyesus said Tuesday it was the first time the secretary-general had declared a state of emergency of this kind before convening the emergency committee, which will be held later on Tuesday. “I didn’t do it lightly,” he added.
According to the Africa CDC, Ebola is a serious and often fatal disease that is spread through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. It can also be spread by contact with contaminated materials or people who have died from the disease. Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines specific for Bundibugyo virus.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
