Uganda deploys health workers to Congo as Ebola cases rise to 515
text_fields
Uganda has deployed health workers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help contain a growing Ebola outbreak that has infected 515 people and claimed 91 lives.
Speaking during a meeting with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Kampala on Monday, Uganda's Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine said the country is also setting up 50-bed treatment units in eastern DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Uganda has already established two mobile laboratories in the border towns of Bwera and Arua to support Ebola testing and diagnostic services in the DRC.
Tedros praised Uganda's response and urged the country to continue supporting efforts to contain the outbreak. He said Uganda's border screening measures had helped detect cases arriving from the DRC and noted that the country's surveillance, testing, and case-management systems were functioning effectively.
According to Uganda's Health Ministry, the country has recorded 19 confirmed Ebola cases so far. Fourteen of those cases involved people who entered from the DRC, while five were Ugandan nationals. Two Congolese patients have died.
The latest figures from the DRC show 515 confirmed Ebola cases, 91 deaths, and 117 suspected cases. Health authorities said 283 patients remain in isolation or hospital care, while 12 people have recovered.
The current outbreak was declared in northeastern DRC on May 15. It is the country's 17th Ebola outbreak. The epicentre is in Ituri province, a region affected by poor infrastructure and insecurity linked to armed groups.
Tedros recently visited the DRC before travelling to Uganda. He said the WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other partners are supporting the response and expressed confidence that the outbreak can be brought under control.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no specific vaccine or treatment.
The WHO and the African CDC last week launched a $518 million response plan to combat the outbreak over the next six months. Ebola, which spreads through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades.