The WHO director general expressed deep concern about the scale and speed of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since the outbreak began, there have been at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths in the country. Thirty cases were confirmed in Ituri province, and one case and one death were confirmed in Kampala, Uganda. A US citizen tested positive and was transferred to Germany. The WHO expects numbers to change as field operations scale up, including strengthening surveillance, contact tracing, and laboratory testing. The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern before an emergency committee convenes. Urban case reports, health worker infections, and population movement due to work and conflict increase concern, and insecurity in Ituri is significant.
"Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been at least 500 suspected cases of Ebola and 130 suspected deaths in DRC since the new outbreak began. Thirty cases had been confirmed in DRC's north-eastern province of Ituri, and one death and one case had been confirmed in Kampala, Uganda, he added. A US citizen has also tested positive and been transferred to Germany."
"These numbers will change as field operations are scaling up, including strengthening surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory testing, Tedros told members of the World Health assembly, who are meeting this week in Geneva. Tedros declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in the early hours of Sunday morning. On Tuesday he said: This is the first time a director general has declared a PHEIC before convening an emergency committee. I did not do this lightly I'm deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic."
"Tedros said reports of cases in urban areas, where the virus typically finds it easier to spread, were also cause for concern. Cases among health workers indicated potential spread in clinics and hospitals, he said, and there was significant population movement in the area, for work and also due to conflict. It's heartbreaking': panic in eastern DRC over return of Ebola"
"The province of Ituri, where most cases have been reported, was highly insecure, Ghebreyesus said. Conflict has intensified since late 2025, and the fighting has escalated significantly over the past two months resul"
#ebola #world-health-organization #public-health-emergency #democratic-republic-of-the-congo #surveillance-and-contact-tracing
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]