U.S. health authorities said Friday they are closely monitoring the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and a related case reported in Uganda, while providing technical support to both countries as fears grow over possible regional spread.
The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jay Bhattacharya, said the agency was coordinating with health officials in both countries following confirmation of a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s Ituri province.
Africa’s top public health agency earlier confirmed 65 deaths linked to the outbreak out of 246 suspected cases in Ituri, while Ugandan authorities said a Congolese man infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola had died in Kampala.
“CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks, and we are working closely with the DRC Ministry of Health through our country office to support our response efforts,” Bhattacharya told reporters.
He added that U.S. officials had also been informed by the Ugandan government about the Ebola case in Kampala and said CDC teams in Uganda were assisting local authorities in tracking and responding to the situation.
Bhattacharya said the outbreak appeared significant and that American health officials were only informed of its scale on Thursday.
“It is a large outbreak, and we were just informed yesterday about it,” he said. “We will absolutely mobilize there as needed.”
The CDC chief also addressed concerns over recent U.S. foreign aid cuts in Africa, saying CDC offices in both Congo and Uganda remained fully staffed and equipped to assist outbreak response operations.
The outbreak in Congo comes amid growing alarm from regional and international health bodies over cross-border transmission risks near Uganda and South Sudan.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and international partners to strengthen surveillance and preparedness measures.
The World Health Organization said it first learned of suspected Ebola cases in Ituri on May 5 and dispatched emergency teams to investigate. Initial field samples tested negative before laboratory confirmation later identified positive cases.
Ebola is endemic to Congo’s tropical forest regions and spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and severe internal bleeding, and the disease is often fatal.
The latest outbreak follows another Ebola flare-up declared in Congo last September, when aid agencies warned that health facilities were overwhelmed and medical supplies were rapidly dwindling.