The CDC, which has said the risk to Americans was low, issued travel advisories urging Americans traveling in Congo and Uganda to avoid people with symptoms.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — At least 131 deaths and over 500 suspected cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the Congolese health ministry said Tuesday as details emerged about the government’s delayed response.
Samuel Roger Kamba, the minister of public health, said: “513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been recorded in the affected areas.”
“These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease.”
The WHO on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.
Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu’s rebel-held capital of Goma, Mongbwalu, Butembo and Nyakunde.
The World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in Geneva on Tuesday that he is “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic” and the U.N. health agency will convene its emergency committee Tuesday to advise on recommendations.
The American doctor is among the cases in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in eastern Congo, said Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, medical director of the country’s National Institute of Bio-Medical Research.
Dr. Peter Stafford had been treating patients at a hospital there when he developed symptoms, Serge, the organization he works for, said in a statement.
Three other employees of Serge were working at the same hospital — including Stafford’s wife — but are not showing symptoms.
Seven Americans, including the one who tested positive, are being transported to Germany for monitoring, Dr. Satish Pillai of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a call with reporters. Pillai said the American developed symptoms over the weekend.
CDC officials did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about the American doctor’s condition.
The CDC, which has said the risk to Americans was low, issued travel advisories urging Americans traveling in Congo and d to avoid people with symptoms like fever, muscle pain and rash.
The CDC said that, for the next 30 days, the U.S. would ban entry of all foreign nationals who had visited Congo, Uganda and South Sudan over the past three weeks, and take measures to identify individuals with Ebola symptoms at ports of entry.
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