Ebola outbreak

10 countries at risk: “High mobility and insecurity”

There is a risk that the Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa and Uganda will spread to ten other African countries. This is what the head of the African Union's infectious disease control agency, Jean Kaseya, warns, according to AFP.

The countries are Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

Kaseya says that the concern is based on the “high mobility and insecurity” prevailing in the region, which risks increasing the spread of the deadly virus.

Three new confirmed cases of Ebola in Uganda

Three new cases of Ebola have been confirmed in Uganda, the country's health ministry said on Saturday. A total of five cases of the serious viral disease have now been confirmed in the country.

Congo-Kinshasa has been hit even harder. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the new outbreak has led to hundreds of cases in the country and many have died. 82 cases have been confirmed but the number of deaths is believed to be large.

The WHO has issued the highest warning in Congo-Kinshasa and suspects that Ebola has been spreading for some time before it was discovered.

There are no approved vaccines or drugs against this type of Ebola virus, writes AFP. 

Analysis: The outbreak will be a test for global support

The Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa is putting international cooperation to the test, writes Laurence Caramel in an analysis for Le Monde. She writes that many lessons were learned after the corona pandemic and that poorer countries' crisis management has been strengthened by international support.

But a lot has happened since then and today there is a risk that important testing materials, which are financed by other countries, will run out.

“The momentum created during the Covid pandemic has been broken by the collapse of international aid.

Sky News science editor Thomas Moore says the outbreak has been rapid and that the unusual Bundibugyo variant may have been spreading for weeks.

An aggravating factor is that healthcare workers are struggling to operate in conflict zones. It is difficult to carry out tests and conduct clinical trials, says Moore.

– Without international help, they risk falling behind a virus that kills a third of those infected

Ebola outbreak — it matters

• A new Ebola outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa has led to more than 160 deaths and nearly 700 infections, according to authorities.
• The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo variant, which lacks both a vaccine and treatment and has a high mortality rate.
• The disease has spread to Uganda, where five cases have been confirmed and at least one person has died.
• The WHO has declared a “global public health emergency” and sent experts and equipment to affected areas in Ituri province.
• Local conflicts, lack of infrastructure and delayed detection have complicated efforts to combat the infection.