The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern."
The World Health Organization said Sunday that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, did not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. The UN health agency said that 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases had been reported as of Saturday in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, across at least three health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The Health Ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo said Friday that 80 people had died in the new outbreak in the eastern province. In Uganda's capital, Kampala, two laboratory-confirmed cases were reported Friday and Saturday, including one death. The cases appeared to be unrelated and involved people who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said. A laboratory-confirmed case was also reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, in a person who had returned from Ituri province, the organization said.
The spread prompted the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn of "active community transmission," as health workers rushed to increase screening and contact tracing in an effort to contain the disease.
Associated Press journalists in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, interviewed residents who described their fears and the constant burials. "Every day people are dying ... and this has been going on for about a week. In a single day, we bury two, three or even more people," said Jean Marc Asimwe, a Bunia resident. "At this stage, we don't really know what kind of disease this is."
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare but severe and often fatal. Officials first announced the latest outbreak in Congo on Friday, with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases.
In an online briefing Saturday, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the first cases had been reported in the Mongbwalu health zone, a busy mining area with heavy traffic. "Later, cases moved to Rwampara and Bunia as patients sought medical care, enabling the outbreak to spread across three health zones," he said.
