WHO says 600 suspected cases, 139 deaths in growing DR Congo Ebola outbreak
The World Health Organization said suspected cases in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Ebola outbreak have reached 600, with 139 deaths. The outbreak, in an active conflict zone, is complicating contact tracing. The WHO has called for funding for additional personnel and vaccine shipments.
World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti told a Geneva briefing Tuesday that suspected cases in the Ebola outbreak in South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo have climbed to 600, with confirmed and suspected deaths reaching 139. The lethality rate, around 23 percent, is above the average for previous outbreaks.
Moeti said the outbreak continues in an active conflict zone where the M23 rebel group is operating, and health teams cannot access certain villages for contact tracing. The WHO has shipped more than 18,000 vaccine doses in the past three weeks, but inadequate cold-chain infrastructure is slowing logistics. The organization issued a call for an additional $65 million in emergency response funding.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it has dispatched additional personnel to the response. Last week, the WHO warned the outbreak could be spreading faster than initially thought. Neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda have set up health screening posts at border crossings. The Trump administration said it would let the Congolese football team enter the US for the World Cup under a special health protocol.
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