The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in Uganda over, while warning that the virus continues to spread rapidly across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda’s government announced on July 28 that it was free of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The outbreak caused 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths. The WHO said Wednesday it had continued monitoring through this week and found no missed transmission chains.
The situation in Congo is moving in the opposite direction.
Dr. Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO’s director of emergency preparedness for Africa, told a regional briefing that cases there keep rising despite some progress on containment. According to the Congolese government, there have been more than 5,600 cases and more than 2,700 deaths as of Tuesday, making it the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.
“Transmission remains very active,” Belizaire said. “We have slowed the acceleration, but we have not yet bent this curve.”
She noted improvements in contact tracing and testing, and said lab analysis shows no signs of mutation in the Bundibugyo virus despite its fast spread.
The WHO also flagged an urgent $30 million shortfall for logistics in Congo’s hardest-hit areas, including delivery of medical supplies and personal protective equipment.
“Without this immediate investment, we risk stalling the momentum we have built,” Belizaire said.
