(SeaPRwire) – The head of the World Health Organization announced a meeting of his emergency committee regarding the “scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda on Tuesday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cited data showing that more than 500 suspected cases have been reported in the DRC in recent weeks, with 33 confirmed cases. In Uganda, there have been two confirmed cases. So far, the outbreak has resulted in 131 deaths.
“I’m deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” Tedros said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Tedros is scheduled to meet with the WHO’s Emergency Committee later on Tuesday.
Several factors have raised concerns within the WHO about the potential for further spread, including cases in urban areas such as Kampala, Uganda, and Goma in the DRC, as well as the conflict-affected province of Ituri.
The WHO has approved $3.9 million in emergency funding to support national authorities in their response efforts.
The organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency on Sunday, followed shortly by an urgent travel warning issued by the U.S. government for the DRC on Monday.
Officials confirmed that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rarer variant for which existing vaccines may be less effective.
The State Department describes Ebola as a “rare, severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever illness.”
The virus spreads through direct contact with infected individuals, bodily fluids, infected corpses, and objects contaminated with the virus.
“The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Ituri province,” the advisory stated. “Do not travel to this area for any reason.”
This development occurs as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has sickened multiple passengers and crew members and led to three fatalities.
As of May 13, the WHO reported 11 hantavirus cases associated with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases, and one inconclusive case.
‘ Andrea Margolis and Michael Sinkewicz and Reuters contributed to this report.
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