WHO fears Ebola outbreak may have spread beyond Congo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed fears that the recent Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may already have spread beyond the borders of that country.

According to the world health body, investigations into the outbreak were revealing wider transmission than initially thought.

WHO representative, Anne Ancia, was quoted as saying “The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realise that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across the border and also in other provinces”.

She described Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, as “a very insecure area with lots of movement of population”, making efforts to trace infections and contain the disease more difficult.

READ ALSO: Ex-Gov Lamido counsels Jonathan to stay out of ‘murky’ 2027 presidential race

She added that the outbreak had also spread to South Kivu province, an area already grappling with a prolonged humanitarian crisis.

The outbreak, which has killed at least 131 people, has raised global concern following reports of cross-border transmission into neighbouring Uganda, where one death has already been recorded.

Officials said more than 513 Ebola cases were suspected in Congo as of Tuesday.

The WHO recently declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, citing the virus’s escalating spread and the growing risk of cross-border transmission.

However, the organisation noted that the outbreak had not yet met the threshold for a pandemic emergency under the International Health Regulations.

There is currently no vaccine for the strain of Ebola driving the latest outbreak, although the WHO said it was evaluating whether existing drugs could offer some level of protection.

The post WHO fears Ebola outbreak may have spread beyond Congo appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.