{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1752348,
        "msgid": "who-scale-and-spread-of-ebola-alarming-1780887084",
        "date": "2026-05-20 17:04:58",
        "title": "WHO: Scale and Spread of Ebola Alarming",
        "author": "",
        "source": "DETIK",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "The World Health Organisation has declared an international health emergency due to the rapid spread of the rare Bundibugyo Ebola variant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The outbreak is complicated by militia attacks and the lack of a specific vaccine for this particular strain.",
        "content": "<p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed grave concern\nregarding the scale and speed of the Ebola epidemic. The outbreak\ninvolves a rare strain known as Bundibugyo, for which no specific\nvaccine currently exists. Many reported cases have occurred in the\nnortheastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, near the border with\nUganda, including cities such as Bunia and Butembo.<\/p>\n<p>The remote nature of the affected areas has made laboratory testing\ndifficult. Furthermore, containment efforts are being hampered by\nattacks from anti-government militias in the eastern part of the\ncountry. In response to the threat, Rwanda has closed its border with\nthe Congo to prevent the virus from spreading.<\/p>\n<p>Last weekend, authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo\nreported 90 deaths linked to approximately 350 suspected Ebola cases.\nThe WHO has officially declared a \u2018public health emergency of\ninternational concern\u2019, the second-highest level of alert issued by the\nhealth agency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on\nTuesday that the scale and speed of the epidemic are deeply\nconcerning.<\/p>\n<p>With the outbreak centred in Ituri province, 30 cases have been\nlaboratory-confirmed in the region. Uganda has also informed the WHO of\ntwo confirmed cases in the capital, Kampala, including one death\ninvolving a traveller from the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n<p>The WHO held an emergency meeting in Geneva to discuss the\nprocurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare\nworkers and the feasibility of testing available vaccines. While the\nErvebo vaccine, produced by the US pharmaceutical company Merck, is\napproved for the Zaire variant, it has shown some protective effects\nagainst the Bundibugyo pathogen in animal trials.<\/p>\n<p>In related developments, the German Ministry of Health confirmed that\nUS authorities requested assistance from the German federal government\nto treat an American citizen, Dr Peter Stafford, who contracted Ebola\nwhile working for a Christian mission in the DRC. The patient will be\nisolated at Charit\u00e9 University Hospital in Berlin. Additionally, another\nUS doctor is being transferred from a hospital in Uganda to Prague,\nCzech Republic, after exposure to the virus, though they currently show\nno symptoms.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/who-scale-and-spread-of-ebola-alarming-1780887084",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}