The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola becoming a national outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to “very high.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the assessment was revised to “very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level.” The strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday.
According to the WHO, 82 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, with seven confirmed deaths, 177 suspected deaths, and nearly 750 suspected cases. In Uganda, two cases have been confirmed in people who travelled from the DRC, one of which was fatal, but the situation remains stable.
Officials said the potential for rapid spread is “high, very high,” which has changed the response approach. Measures in Uganda, including contact tracing and cancellation of mass gatherings, appear to have helped contain the virus so far.
