Ebola outbreak now third largest recorded and "spreading rapidly"
Summary
A new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has quickly become the third largest recorded, with nearly 750 cases and 177 deaths reported since mid-May. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns the virus is spreading rapidly, especially in difficult areas with conflict and poor healthcare, and efforts to control it face many challenges.Key Facts
- The Ebola outbreak began in Ituri province, DRC, with the first suspected case on April 24.
- As of the latest report, there are about 750 cases and 177 deaths.
- Around 1,400 people who had contact with infected patients are being tracked to prevent further spread.
- WHO upgraded the outbreak risk to "very high" nationally and "high" regionally, but "low" globally.
- The type of Ebola virus involved is the Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments.
- The outbreak is harder to control due to ongoing armed conflict, population movement, weak healthcare, and hunger in affected areas.
- Delays in detecting the outbreak were partly due to poor handling of patient samples after the initial cases.
- Public health experts criticized the U.S. government for reducing support and withdrawing from WHO, which affected the global response capability.
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