ADDIS ABABA, May 29 — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that the number of suspected Ebola cases in a new outbreak reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda has surpassed 1,000.
During an online press briefing, Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said a total of 1,077 suspected cases and 246 probable deaths have been recorded since the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15.
Data from the African Union’s specialized healthcare agency showed laboratory tests have confirmed 129 cases in the DRC and eight cases in Uganda, linked to imported cases from the DRC.
Kaseya said 11 other countries across the continent are now at high risk of being affected, namely South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Somalia.
“We are still expecting in Africa CDC an increase (of cases), because we are still in the active phase of the outbreak,” the Africa CDC chief said.
Kaseya voiced concern over major operational challenges, including gaps in surveillance and contact tracing, as well as limited laboratory capacity to rapidly confirm infections. He said the lack of approved vaccines and therapeutics for the highly lethal Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus is further complicating containment efforts, in addition to a four-week detection gap of silent transmission before confirmation, and limited funding.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can cause symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola fatality rates vary depending on the viral subtype. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
