Ebola outbreak sparks global health emergency as deaths rise in Africa

The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern” as cases and deaths continue to rise.

The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo virus, one of several Ebola-related viruses known to cause severe disease.

According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 395 suspected cases and 106 associated deaths across the two countries.

Health officials said the outbreak is centred in northeastern Congo near the Ugandan border, though cases have also been reported in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

The WHO said the outbreak does not yet meet the threshold of a pandemic emergency, but concerns are growing because there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.

“The number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short timeframe, combined with the spread across several health zones and now across the border, is extremely concerning,” Medecins Sans Frontières emergency manager Trish Newport said in a statement.

THe United States has already imposed travel restrictions from affected regions after one American citizen tested positive for the virus in Congo.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding.