WHO Declares Ebola Emergency as Congo Death Toll Hits 220 and Uganda Cases Rise to 7
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · May 25
WHO Declares Ebola Emergency as Congo Death Toll Hits 220 and Uganda Cases Rise to 7
15 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 25
At least 220 people are now suspected dead in Congo's Ebola outbreak, prompting WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern as Uganda reported two new cases, lifting its total to seven.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said delayed detection left health workers "playing catch-up," with the Congo outbreak likely circulating days or weeks before authorities declared it on May 15 and suspected cases now topping 900.
Uganda's infections all trace to the Congo outbreak: a 59-year-old Congolese man died in Kampala on May 14, and two newly confirmed cases are health workers at a private hospital exposed during treatment.
Eastern Congo's response is being undermined by violence and distrust after attackers stormed Mongbwalu General Hospital on Sunday, the third assault on Ebola facilities in a week, following a breakout of 18 suspected patients a day earlier.
The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, though an Oxford candidate could enter clinical trials in two to three months; WHO still says the global spread risk remains low.
With Ebola now in Uganda, how prepared are neighboring African nations for a wider regional contagion?
Could a new Oxford vaccine arrive in time to contain Congo's spiraling, violence-plagued Ebola outbreak?
Are forceful health mandates fueling more distrust and violence than the Ebola virus itself in eastern Congo?