African Health Body Warns 10 Countries of Ebola Outbreak Risk
Kigali, Rwanda — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned 10 African countries of heightened risk from an Ebola outbreak following a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whilst the World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised alert status to “very high”.
Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya identified the at-risk countries as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia.
With the exception of Ethiopia, all of these countries share direct borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda, which have reported Ebola cases to date.
Africa CDC and the WHO have jointly requested funding exceeding US$314 million to finance the Ebola outbreak response. Response measures include establishing national incident management systems, cross-border coordination, acceleration of Bundibugyo strain vaccine research, deployment of additional response teams, and positioning emergency stockpiles.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced a surge in cases since the outbreak was announced on 15 May in Ituri Province. The disease subsequently spread to North Kivu and South Kivu Provinces.
The WHO reports approximately 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths from Ebola. At least 82 cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health reported three new cases on Saturday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the current outbreak to five.
The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has suspended various social activities in Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak, including sporting events to suppress virus transmission.
Military Governor General Johnny Luboya has also prohibited gatherings of more than 50 people in the health zones of Bunia, Rwampara, Mungwalu, and Nyakunde, which have experienced a surge in confirmed Ebola cases.
The WHO has raised alert status to “very high”, whilst several neighbouring countries have tightened preventive measures, including travel restrictions from the Democratic Republic of Congo.