The spread of Ebola from Congo is increasing as WHO calls the risk "very high"

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

The epidemic of haemorrhagic fever in northeastern Congo is now more important than the previous in the northwest and harder to contain because of a dense and highly mobile population and a rebel threat so serious that some health zone agents.

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 prompted WHO chief of emergency Peter Salama to warn that insecurity, public disregard for vaccinations and fears of politicians ahead of the December elections could create a "perfect storm".

By Friday, the outbreak had 124 confirmed Ebola cases, including 71 deaths. The previous epidemic in Equateur province, Congo, reported one week before the announcement of the current outbreak, included 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 moved into a "red zone" where security is poor and Ebola efforts are "extremely difficult if not impossible".

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

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

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

"Although substantial progress has been made, the situation is precarious," WHO said on global efforts to contain the Ebola virus. 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.