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Ebola outbreak still spreading in Congo, and "that means we are missing cases," WHO says
CBS News • • health
Key Points:
- The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda has intensified, with confirmed cases surpassing 800, marking an increase of about 300 in one week, according to the WHO.
- The virus continues to spread geographically in the DRC, particularly in Ituri province, where community resistance to health measures has led to security interventions; intense community transmission and underreported cases remain concerns.
- Contact tracing efforts in the DRC have been slow, with roughly 3,000 potential contacts of confirmed cases still untracked, hampering containment efforts.
- Uganda, sharing a nearly 500-mile porous border with the DRC, has implemented proactive screening and preventative measures, resulting in no new cases reported for 11 days, though cross-border movement and cultural ties pose ongoing challenges.
- Ugandan health officials emphasize the difficulty of fully controlling movement across the border and continue to closely monitor the outbreak to prevent further spread into their country.
