Ebola Outbreak

WHO: Ebola tests have stopped due to shortage of materials

Test results from suspected Ebola samples have stopped in Congo-Kinshasa after three laboratories ran out of supplies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said this, according to Reuters.

The three laboratories have run out of reagents, substances needed to carry out the tests.

WHO did not say how many samples are waiting for analysis.

So far, about 600 cases of the new Ebola variant Bundibugyo have been confirmed in the country, and more than 115 people have died.

A further 19 cases have been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda, where two people have died.

Taxi Caravan Spreads Ebola Awareness in Outbreak Center

On Tuesday, taxi drivers on motorcycles carried out an information caravan in eastern Congo-Kinshasa to spread awareness about the ongoing Ebola outbreak, reports the AP.

Wearing white T-shirts with the text "Stop Ebola" and carrying information signs, they drove through the towns of Bunia and Rwampara in Ituri province, which is at the center of the outbreak.

Skepticism towards authorities and healthcare workers in eastern Congo-Kinshasa has led to several attacks on healthcare workers trying to limit the spread of the infection during the outbreak.

- Healthcare workers have been subjected to attacks in some areas. That is why we chose to involve the motorcycle taxi drivers, who encounter both sick and healthy people in their work and play an important role in spreading information, says Jacques Maliro from WHO.

Around 90 percent of the approximately 600 confirmed cases in the country are in Ituri province.