WorldDraftBreaking
WHO declares Ebola emergency in Congo and Uganda as risk assessment shifts
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns of rising death toll amid challenges of conflict and lack of approved vaccines.
Event
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern
The World Health Organization reported 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with numbers expected to rise. The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern but assessed the global risk as low. There are currently 51 confirmed cases in DR Congo and two in Uganda.
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Background
Why this event matters
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Bundibugyo species of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated the outbreak likely began a couple of months ago, with the first known case being a nurse who died in Bunia on 24 April. Current figures show 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, with 51 confirmed cases in the DRC (primarily in Ituri and North Kivu provinces) and two in Uganda (patients who had travelled from the DRC). This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC and the first for the Bundibugyo species in over a decade. While the WHO assesses the global risk as low, the national and regional risks are high. Complicating containment efforts is ongoing conflict in eastern DRC. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo species, though experimental vaccines and cross-protection from Zaire species vaccines are being considered.
event-brief
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Bundibugyo species of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicated the outbreak likely
Fact cards
entity brief
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern: key people and institutions
Key entities: World Health Organization, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ituri province, North Kivu province, Kampala, Bunia.
timeline brief
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern: timeline
24 April: First known case, a nurse, develops symptoms and dies in Bunia, Ituri province, DRC. [Date not specified in source]: Body of the first case is repatriated to Mongwalu, a gold-mining town where the majority of cases have been reported. [Date not specified in source]: WHO
Timeline
24 April
First known case, a nurse, develops symptoms and dies in Bunia, Ituri province, DRC.
[Date not specified in source]
Body of the first case is repatriated to Mongwalu, a gold-mining town where the majority of cases have been reported.
[Date not specified in source]
WHO declares the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), citing high national and regional risk but low global risk.
[Current]
WHO reports 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths across the DRC and Uganda.
[Current]
51 confirmed cases identified in the DRC (Ituri and North Kivu provinces) and two confirmed cases in Kampala, Uganda.