The chief of the World Health Organization said Tuesday he is “deeply concerned about the scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, as local officials warn of a rising death toll.
The outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo virus, one of several viruses known as Orthoebolaviruses that can cause Ebola disease, is mainly hitting the DRC’s remote northeastern Ituri province, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
In response to the growing epidemic, the US invoked a public health law on Monday to limit entry into the country from the affected region, just as one US national tested positive for the strain in the DRC. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) criticised the move, saying “broad travel bans can disrupt lives and economies.”
As of Tuesday, there have been 131 deaths linked to the outbreak, according to the DRC’s health minister, Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba, with more than 500 cases suspected.
Ghebreyesus said 30 cases have so far been confirmed in Ituri province. Meanwhile, in neighboring Uganda, two laboratory-confirmed cases have also been reported in the capital, Kampala, according to WHO.
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