Zambia has ruled out Ebola in two suspected cases and stepped up screening at entry points following an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The health ministry said on Friday night that laboratory tests cleared both suspected cases. It added that Zambia faces a high risk of the virus crossing the border and has deployed screening tools and protocols at entry points and for people showing Ebola-like symptoms within the country.
Congolese authorities reported on Friday that suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain, which has no vaccine, had risen to 1,028. Cases have also been reported in Uganda.
The Bundibugyo strain was first identified nearly 20 years ago in Uganda. Experts have raised concern over how long it spread undetected in a densely populated area, complicating efforts to trace and isolate contacts.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola viruses begin with flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and headache, and can progress to vomiting, diarrhoea, internal and external bleeding, and multi-organ failure.
