WHO Reports 139 Deaths and 600 Suspected Cases in Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa
WHO Reports 139 Deaths and 600 Suspected Cases in Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 139 deaths and 600 suspected cases linked to the Ebola virus, with officials warning that numbers are likely to rise due to delayed detection of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the figures on Wednesday, noting that the rare Bundibugyo strain has been declared a public health emergency of international concern, though it does not currently constitute a global epidemic. He assessed the outbreak as having a high local and regional risk, but a low global threat.
Dr. Ghebreyesus unilaterally declared the emergency earlier this week due to the severity of the situation. Dr. Ricki Ekpizo, WHO Executive Director for Health Emergencies, stated that the top priority is to trace all chains of transmission to determine the outbreak’s extent and provide appropriate care.
The virus has been confirmed in 51 cases in Ituri and North Kivu provinces of northern DRC, while Uganda has reported two confirmed cases in Kampala. Bundibugyo Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected humans or animals, and carries an estimated mortality rate of approximately 40%.
Experts are concerned that the virus could circulate undetected for weeks in densely populated regions affected by ongoing armed conflict. For comparison, the Zaire strain caused one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks in the same area from 2018 to 2020, claiming roughly 2,300 lives.
