Ebola outbreak with uncommon strain erupts in Congo and Uganda; 65 deaths

Africa CDC highlighted other complications of this outbreak, which include the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara; intense movement of people in the area, including mining-related mobility; militia clashes in the area; and gaps in contact tracing. The agency also noted the potential spillover not just to Uganda but also to South Sudan.

“Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighboring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, said in a statement Friday. “We are working with DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and partners to strengthen surveillance, preparedness, and response, and to help contain the outbreak as quickly as possible.”

In a press briefing on Friday afternoon, Jay Bhattacharya, who is heading the US CDC for now, said that the agency, which has offices in both DRC and Uganda, is offering technical assistance to the countries. “It is a large outbreak, and we were just informed yesterday about it. So we’ve been working very, very hard to coordinate with them,” Bhattacharya said.

In a separate press briefing earlier today, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO received a signal of suspected Ebola cases in the DRC and sent a team to support the health ministry on May 5. WHO representatives are still there assisting in outbreak responses.

Tedros also said WHO was releasing today $500,000 from WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies to immediately support the response efforts.