Page 2 - Ebola

Ebola outbreak in Congo spreading rapidly amid treatment gaps, warns WHO

The agency upgraded its risk assessment to 'very high' in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths from the disease

WHO chief Adhanom says Ebola outbreak in Congo is 'spreading rapidly'

The head of the World Health Organisation says the Ebola outbreak in Congo is "spreading rapidly" and now poses a "very high" risk at the national level. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said Friday the UN health agency was revising upward to "very high" its assessment of the risk within Congo, which had previously been deemed as high. The risk remains high for regional spread and low at global levels, he told reporters. The WHO chief noted that 82 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, "but we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger." He said there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. The situation in neighbouring Uganda is "stable" with two cases confirmed in people who had travelled from Congo, with one death.

Ebola spreads silently through Congo's mines and conflict-hit regions

Population growth, climate change and rising human contact with wildlife are fuelling spread of animal-borne diseases like Ebola, though improved detection methods may explain some increase in cases

India-Africa Summit postponed as Ebola outbreak raises health concerns

India and the African Union defer the Fourth India-Africa Forum Summit amid Ebola concerns, while India issues health advisories for travellers from affected nations

Delhi airport issues health advisory amid Ebola outbreak concerns

The advisory asked travellers coming from countries reporting Ebola cases, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, to remain vigilant

Ebola outbreak likely started months ago, spread undetected in Africa: WHO

First confirmed death took place April 20, and experts used social media posts to reconstruct the recent progress of the virus after the super-spreader event on May 5

Asian countries tighten precautions against Ebola after WHO declaration

Several govts have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travelers arriving from affected countries, though officials say no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia

WHO-Imperial College analysis suggests Congo Ebola outbreak undercounted

The analysis, based on case data collected through Saturday, found the outbreak was likely substantially larger than officially detected

Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 131, over 500 suspected cases reported

At least 131 deaths and over 500 suspected cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the Congolese health ministry said Tuesday as details emerged about the government's delayed response. Samuel Roger Kamba, the minister of public health, said: "513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been recorded in the affected areas." "These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease." The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected. Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu's

Viral fears: Hantavirus and Ebola raise global health threat perceptions

The question is how far India is at risk, especially given India's public-health delivery mechanisms and the cocktail of unidentified viruses that circulate through its cities each summer and monsoon

Congo announces 3 Ebola treatment centres in Ituri amid ongoing outbreak

The Congolese health minister announced the opening of three treatment centres in the Ituri region in eastern Congo on Sunday evening as he visited the region amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak. "We know that the hospitals are already under stress because of the patients," said Samuel Roger Kamba, the health minister, while visiting Bunia, the capital and largest city in Ituri. "But we are preparing to have treatment centres at all three sites in order to be able to expand our capabilities." The World Health Organisation declared the Ebola disease outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths in Congo and two in neighbouring Uganda. Although the outbreak is centred in Ituri, cases have been reported in the capital, Kinshasa, and in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. In a separate statement on X on Sunday, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said that a team of 35 experts from the WHO and the Congolese ...

Rare Ebola's silent spread in Congo exposes gaps in surveillance system

About 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths have been reported in northeastern Congo, the country's health minister Roger Kamba said on Sunday

WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. In a post on X, the World Health Organisation said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, and advised against the closure of international borders. Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal. Health authorities have confirmed the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time the Bundibugyo virus has been reported. Congo accounts for all except two of the cases, both of which were reported in neighbouring Uganda, the W

Rare Ebola virus strain with no approved vaccine kills dozens in Congo

About 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported mainly in Mongbwalu and Rwampara health zones in Ituri province, near the Ugandan border, in Democratic Republic of Congo

The contagion scale: From measles to TB which disease spread fastest?

The R0 measure indicates how an infection will spread in a population. If it's greater than one (as seen above), the outcome is disease spread

Marburg virus outbreak: What is this infection? Should India be concerned?

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is also a contagious illness. At least six people have passed away in Rwanda's first-ever outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus. The virus was first identified in 1967

Mpox risks heighten with mosaic of infection patterns in Central Africa

Diagnostic testing is insufficient in central Africa, investigators say, as is the sophisticated genomic sequencing that helped scientists map and understand the spread of Covid-19 within communities

Covid-19 lab leak fight obscures the global rise of high-security biolabs

There are 69 so-called Biosafety Level 4, or BSL-4, facilities designed to study dangerous infectious pathogens in operation, under construction or planned worldwide, according to Global Biolabs

Uganda ends WHO's mandatory 42-day countdown to be declared Ebola-free

Uganda has ended a 42-day countdown to be declared Ebola-free with no case reported in the period, the country's Health Minister said

Uganda reports alarming rise in Ebola cases in capital, 11 more infected

Ugandan officials have reported 11 more cases of Ebola in the capital since Friday, a worrisome increase in infections just over a month after an outbreak was declared in a remote part of the East African country. Nine more people in the Kampala metropolitan area tested positive for Ebola on Sunday, in addition to two others on Friday, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said Monday. A top World Health Organization official in Africa said last week that Uganda's Ebola outbreak was rapidly evolving, describing a challenging situation for health workers. Ugandan health authorities have confirmed 75 cases of Ebola since Sept. 20, including 28 deaths. There are 19 active cases. The official numbers don't include those who probably died of Ebola before the outbreak was confirmed in a farming community about 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of Kampala. Fears that Ebola could spread far from the outbreak's epicenter compelled authorities to impose an ongoing lockdown, including nighttime curfe