Ebola deaths rise sharply as outbreak’s ‘scale and speed’ worry WHO chief
The Ebola death toll in central Africa surged to 131 with 531 suspected cases, alarming WHO over the 'scale and speed' of the Bundibugyo virus outbreak, which lacks a vaccine or treatment. The U.S. has evacuated an infected American missionary to Germany, while the State Department warned against non-essential travel to Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan due to the worsening crisis.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has escalated rapidly, with at least 131 deaths and 531 suspected infections reported by Tuesday, according to the Congolese Health Ministry. The strain, Bundibugyo virus, has no approved vaccine or treatment, raising concerns among global health experts about its potential to spread widely in a conflict-ridden region with limited resources. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over the outbreak’s ‘scale and speed,’ noting it had gone undetected for weeks. The outbreak has spread beyond the eastern Ituri province, reaching gold-mining towns and even rebel-held Goma, 230 miles away. Funding shortages and civil war have further complicated containment efforts. An American missionary, Dr. Peter Stafford, tested positive after showing symptoms—fever, muscle fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting—while working at Nyankunde Hospital in northeastern Congo. He was evacuated to Germany at the U.S. government’s request for specialized care. The CDC issued a health advisory urging doctors to isolate and test suspected cases immediately. The U.S. State Department advised Americans against traveling to Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan due to the outbreak. WHO’s emergency committee is set to meet to assess the situation, while six tons of medical supplies, including protective gear, are en route to Congo. Previous Bundibugyo outbreaks in Uganda (2007) and Congo (2012) had fatality rates of 30% to 50%, underscoring the current crisis’s severity.
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