The risk of Ebola spreading from Congo is now "very high," according to WHO – News – Savannah Morning News

JOHANNESBURG – The risk of spreading the deadly Ebola virus from Congo is now "very high" after the discovery of two confirmed cases near the Ugandan border, the World Health Organization said.

The outbreak of haemorrhagic fever in northeastern Congo is now larger than the previous in the northwest and more complicated to contain because of a dense and extremely mobile population and a rebel threat if serious that some health workers say that they are at war zone.

A deadly attack in Beni, at the heart of Ebola's containment efforts, forced jobs to be suspended for two days earlier in the week.

This has prompted WHO's chief of emergency, Peter Salama, to warn that insecurity, public mistrust of vaccinations and fears raised by politicians before the December elections could create a "perfect storm" that could spread the epidemic.

By Friday, the outbreak had 124 confirmed Ebola cases, including 71 deaths. The previous outbreak in the Equateur province in Congo, declared more than a week before the announcement of the current outbreak, had 54 confirmed cases, including 33 deaths.

This is the first time that an Ebola outbreak is occurring in this part of the Congo, affecting the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. Health workers have had to deal with various rumors and fears about the disease, which is spread through the bodily fluids of infected people, including those who have died.

Some patients have left health facilities to seek alternative care, said the WHO in a statement Thursday. An infected person has settled in a "red zone" where security is inadequate and it is "extremely difficult, if not impossible, to deploy Ebola response efforts."

The virus has shifted close to the Ugandan border after a woman who participated in the burial of Ebola victims refused to be vaccinated in Beni and disappeared, said officials said. local officials. She died on September 20 in a hospital in Tshomia on Lake Albert, which separates the two countries.

The second case of Ebola confirmed in Tshomia was the woman's partner, the WHO said.

The US refugee agency said Friday that it was "gravely concerned" for the safety of civilians in North Kivu, which has the highest number of displaced people in the Congo, with an estimated number more than from one million.

In August, about 13,000 people fled their homes in the region of Beni alone due to insecurity, said the refugee agency. Meanwhile, about 200 refugees from the Congo arrive daily in Uganda, a "tiny fraction" of the daily flows of traders and others between countries, he added.

"Although substantial progress has been made, the situation is precarious," WHO said of the global efforts to stem Ebola. He continues to recommend travel restrictions.

Uganda, which has five Ebola outbreaks since 2000, is preparing to start vaccinations as needed. The Congo Ministry of Health, facing its 10th outbreak, said more than 12,000 people had already been vaccinated.