Medical workers check temperatures at the Mpondwe border point with DR Congo, near Bwera, Uganda, on May 9, 2019. File Photo courtesy the WHO
May 17 (UPI) — The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern in reaction to an Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republican of the Congo.
Health officials believe the disease, also known Ebola hemorrahagic fever, has killed dozens of people in the two countries in recent days. In the DRC’s Ituri province, there have been 336 cases and 88 deaths possibly linked to the disease. Eight cases have been confirmed.
Cases have also been suspected in Kampala, Uganda.
The WHO declared the public health emergency Saturday, one day after confirming the existence of an outbreak. The international health organization, which is an arm of the United Nations, said the outbreak doesn’t meet the criteria of a pandemic, but the spread of the virus could be bigger than currently known.
“There are significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread associated with this event at the present time,” the WHO said.
This Ebola outbreak has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus, making it particularly challenging to treat. Unlike the Ebola-zaire strains of the virus, there are no approved approved therapeutics or vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain, the WHO said.