Samuel Roger Kamba, the public health minister, stated: “513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been noted in the affected regions.” “These are suspected fatalities, and investigations are ongoing to establish which ones are definitively related to the disease.” The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday.
Health officials indicate that the current outbreak, which was first confirmed on Friday, is due to the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease for which there are no approved treatments or vaccines.
Despite more than 20 Ebola outbreaks occurring in Congo and Uganda, this marks only the third instance of the Bundibugyo virus being identified.
Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, Goma (North Kivu’s rebel-held capital), Mongbwalu, Butembo, and Nyakunde.
The WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed on Tuesday in Geneva his “deep concern about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” noting that the UN health agency will convene its emergency committee to provide recommendations.
Also Read: What to know about the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola causing an outbreak in Congo
