132 deaths in DR Congo, Uganda due to Ebola outbreak: WHO
Geneva, May 20
World Health Organisation on Wednesday noted that a total of 528 suspected cases, including 132 deaths, have been reported due to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as of May 18.
A total of 668 contacts were identified, including 541 in DR Congo and 127 in Uganda. The contact follow-up remained challenging in some areas of DRC due to insecurity and movement restrictions, WHO said.
The United Nations' health agency had declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus a public health emergency of international concern.
In a statement on X, WHO stated that of the 12 suspected cases reported from Uganda, two were confirmed through laboratory testing, while the rest tested negative.
WHO stated that alert management and case investigations are being scaled up in the affected countries. In DR Congo, a total of 38 experts, 20 from the Ministry of Health and 18 from WHO, have been deployed from Kinshasa to Bunia to support response operations. Over 17 tons of emergency supplies were shipped to DRC, including personal protective equipment, medical supplies, tents, stretchers and medicines.
The WHO is expanding the laboratory capacity, with deployment of lab teams and mobile laboratories to affected areas in DRC to increase local testing and diagnostic activities. Risk communications and community engagement are also being scaled up to make sure communities are actively included in the response.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in India is also closely monitoring the outbreak of Ebola disease in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, sources in the ministry have informed.
Senior officials of the Ministry, including officials from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), ICMR and other concerned divisions, have reviewed the evolving situation and initiated precautionary public health measures.
A senior official in the Ministry of Health clarified on Monday that there is no reported case of Ebola in India, and the current risk to the country remains minimal. However, as a matter of abundant caution, surveillance and preparedness measures are being strengthened at points of entry and within the public health system.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The numbers are alarming—528 suspected cases is huge. But I'm glad to see that WHO is deploying teams and supplies, and India is monitoring it seriously. At times like this, global cooperation is key. Also, kudos to the local health workers who are working in such dangerous conditions 🙏.
Ebola is a serious concern, and it's good to see a coordinated response. But I'm worried about the movement restrictions and insecurity in DRC—how can contact tracing and testing work properly if people can't even get to health centers? The WHO needs to address that urgently.
Respect to the Ministry of Health in India for staying alert and not panicking. It's reassuring that there's no case here, but we can't be complacent. The point-of-entry surveillance needs to be tight, especially with global travel. Prevention is always better than cure! 👍
It's heartbreaking to see 132 families lose their loved ones to a preventable disease. While the response is ramping up, I feel that more focus on community engagement is needed—local people need to trust the health workers and understand the risks. Otherwise, all the equipment in the world won't help much.
Glad India is keeping an eye on this. The Bundibugyo virus is a different type of Ebola, and we don't know everything about it yet. More research and vaccines are needed now, not later. Hopefully, the WHO and countries like India can step up funding for this. 🌍
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.