The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern after dozens of deaths and hundreds of suspected cases were reported in the country’s eastern Ituri province.
The agency said around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths have been recorded so far, warning that the outbreak could become much larger and spread locally and regionally despite not meeting the criteria for a pandemic emergency, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo virus strain, for which there are currently no approved drugs or vaccines.
According to the WHO, eight laboratory-confirmed cases have been detected across three health zones including Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, as well as the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
Health officials said early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and bleeding.
One confirmed case has also been identified in the capital Kinshasa in a patient returning from Ituri. The WHO added that the virus has spread beyond DR Congo, with two confirmed cases reported in neighbouring Uganda, where officials said a 59-year-old man who died on Thursday tested positive for Ebola.
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