Congo: The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is “spreading rapidly,” according to the head of the World Health Organization. As reported by the Congolese Ministry of Communication as of Sunday, there were 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths.
More than 700 suspected Ebola cases, and more than 170 suspected deaths, mostly in Ituri province, the ministry added. ” In Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, nearly 5 million people live amid ongoing conflict. Today, 1 in 4 people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and 1 in 5 are internally displaced, said WHO chief on X”.
WHO and humanitarian health partners maintain a presence across Ituri, including in some of the hardest-to-reach and most insecure areas. Communities are facing not only the threat of Ebola, but also a wide range of diseases, he added
The WHO’s representative in the DRC, Dr. Anne Ancia, who appeared from the field via video link during the press briefing, said Thursday’s incident “significantly jeopardized” the Ebola response operations her team is trying to initiate in the hotspot area.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control warned Saturday that 10 other countries on the continent were at risk from the deadly outbreak.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC, said in a virtual briefing that Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia are now facing elevated transmission risk because of “cross-border population movement.” He stressed the need for “preparedness, rapid detection, and regional coordination” to prevent further spread.
Multiple nations including the U.S., India, the U.K. and Australia have travel restrictions in place.