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Who Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern about the rapid spread of the Ebola virus and its wide scope. More than 500 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda.
Addressing members of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, who Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed the worsening situation of the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, expressing deep concern about the speed and scale of the epidemic. According to official data issued by the health authorities, the number of suspected cases of the virus reached 516 cases, in addition to 33 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda. The number of deaths associated with the new outbreak has risen to 131, including one confirmed in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The confirmed cases were distributed between Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo with 30 cases, and the Ugandan capital Kampala, which witnessed an additional case. Ghebreyesus noted that these figures will see changes as field operations expand and laboratory monitoring and testing systems are strengthened. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the holding of an emergency meeting of its Emergency Committee to discuss the developments of the spread of the virus, especially with cases recorded in urban areas such as Kampala and Goma, in addition to Ituri province, which is witnessing armed conflicts. For its part, the UN agency agreed to allocate emergency funding of $3.9 million to support the efforts of national authorities in combating the outbreak. Ghebreyesus warned of transmission among health workers, suggesting to the seriousness of the current epidemiological situation.
Source: Al-Wehda Al-Arabia News Portal
