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DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Declared Global Emergency as Suspected Cases Reach 513

With no approved vaccine for the rare Bundibugyo strain, control depends on fast detection, isolation, safe burials, contact tracing.

Overview

  • Congo’s health minister now reports 513 suspected infections and 131 suspected deaths, with most reports from Ituri and new investigations in North Kivu.
  • The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Sunday, warning that the true scale may be larger than current reports show.
  • Laboratory-confirmed cases in Kinshasa and in conflict-hit Goma signal risk of urban spread, with the Goma patient linked to travel from Ituri.
  • Cross-border spread is confirmed, with two cases in Kampala in Uganda including one death, and a detected case in South Sudan near the DRC border.
  • With no vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo, WHO has flown emergency supplies to Bunia, MSF is preparing a large-scale response, and the U.S. CDC is deploying support and helping relocate a small number of affected Americans.