Horror Ebola outbreak update with virus rapidly spreading as Trump speaks out | World | News
At least 131 people have died and more than 500 suspected infections have been reported in the latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, according to the country’s health ministry. The head of the World Health Organization expressed concern about the “scale and speed of the epidemic”.
Health experts and aid workers say the virus has spread unnoticed for at least several weeks since the first person died from the virus, and the delayed response is now complicating efforts to stop the outbreak. Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said 513 suspected cases and 131 deaths were recorded. However, he emphasized that “these are suspicious deaths and investigations are ongoing to determine which of them are linked to the disease.” Just yesterday (May 18), authorities reported 300 suspected cases, a sharp increase.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said he was “deeply concerned by the scale and speed of the outbreak” and would convene the UN health agency’s emergency committee today, March 19.
He said the emergence of cases in urban areas, deaths of healthcare workers, significant population movements in the region and the lack of vaccines and treatments were the main reasons for concern about “further spread and more deaths”.
The new outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo version of the virus; There is no approved treatment or vaccine for this strain.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Monday that the patient tested positive while in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The American developed symptoms over the weekend and was tested late Sunday, a CDC official told reporters.
Asked by a reporter if he was worried about the virus, Mr. Trump replied: “[I] I definitely am.
“I think it’s limited to Africa right now, but it’s something that’s exploding.”
Individuals who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past three weeks and hold a U.S. passport are not eligible to enter the United States.
The ban will last at least 30 days, according to an order issued Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
