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Nearly 500 Ebola cases have now been confirmed in a rapidly expanding outbreak in central Africa, according to the World Health Organization, fuelling concerns that the epidemic could become one of the largest on record.
The WHO has already declared the crisis an international public health emergency as health officials race to contain its spread across the region.
“That scale is possible,” warned Jason Asher, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, referring to fears the outbreak could eventually rival the devastating 2014 West Africa epidemic.
In its latest update on Saturday, the WHO reported 452 confirmed cases, including 82 deaths, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak was officially declared three weeks ago.
In neighbouring Uganda, 19 confirmed cases and two deaths have been recorded.
The combined total of 471 cases and 84 deaths marks an increase of 100 cases and 20 deaths in just 24 hours, based on figures released by authorities in both countries.
The current outbreak, linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, was declared on May 15 in northeastern DR Congo, although the virus is believed to have been spreading undetected beforehand. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the strain.
On Friday, the WHO and Africa CDC launched a $518 million (€449.5 million) response plan aimed at strengthening surveillance, laboratory testing and infection prevention efforts.
“The outbreak is moving fast, and we are still playing catch-up,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“We need to stop the outbreak where it is, support countries that are responding today, and ensure that neighbouring countries are ready to detect and act quickly if cases appear.
“This is a serious outbreak and it’s one we know how to stop, but we need to move fast and together.”
Additional sources • AFP