Geneva, June 9 (IANS). The World Health Organization said that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is increasing rapidly. The number of Ebola cases is increasing in Congo. It is spreading over a large area and is spreading across the border to Uganda.
While sharing the latest update on this matter, WHO has said that the risk for DRC is very high. The risk is higher regionally for Congo’s neighboring countries, including Uganda, which share land borders with the affected areas. However, according to the organization, the risk of Ebola infection in the remaining African regions and globally currently remains ‘low’.
As of Sunday, the DRC has reported 515 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 91 deaths. Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases, including two deaths and one potentially fatal case. All cases in Uganda are epidemiologically linked to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, with evidence of both imported infection and secondary transmission between contacts and health workers.
National health authorities, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, are taking a number of steps to tackle the outbreak. On June 5, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO jointly launched a continental-level Ebola preparedness and response plan. Under this plan, a target has been set to raise US$ 518 million to help African countries in preparedness, timely identification and effective response to the outbreak.
The disease is caused by Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a severe and often fatal form of the Ebola disease. News agency Xinhua reported that the virus is believed to be produced by fruit bats and can be spread by contact with the blood or secretions of infected animals or the body fluids of infected people.
The incubation period for BVD is two to 21 days, and infected people do not spread the disease until they show symptoms.
Ebola is a serious disease caused by orthoebolavirus, which is part of the Filoviridae family and occurs in humans and other primates. The disease was identified in 1976 with near-simultaneous outbreaks in Zaire (DRC) and Sudan (now South Sudan).
The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus, was officially announced on May 15. Although the Bundibugyo variant is less common than the Zaire strain responsible for several previous outbreaks, it can still cause severe illness and death.
–IANS
KK/AS