By Ahmed Aboulenein and Doina Chiacu
WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) – U.S. health officials are monitoring reports of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and providing technical assistance to their governments, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.
Africa’s top public health agency said on Friday there was a confirmed Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, with 65 deaths out of 246 suspected cases so far, and Uganda’s health ministry said a Congolese man had died in Kampala of Ebola Bundibugyo.
“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,” said CDC Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya.
The CDC also heard from the government of Uganda on Friday confirming an Ebola outbreak there, he said, and added that its country office is helping to track and respond to the outbreak there, Bhattacharya told reporters on a media call.
Asked about cuts to U.S. foreign aid across Africa, Bhattacharya said the CDC country offices in both nations were well-staffed and equipped to help with the outbreak, and that the agency will mobilize them as needed.
“It is a large outbreak, and we were just informed yesterday about it,” Bhattacharya said. He said CDC officials have been working hard to coordinate with the affected countries and “we will absolutely mobilize there as needed.”
Congo’s dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir for the Ebola virus, which causes fever, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea and is often fatal. It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of a person sickened by the virus or contaminated objects, and can linger in the body of survivors and resurface years later.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and global partners to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts.
The World Health Organization said it learned of suspected cases in the latest outbreak on May 5 and dispatched a team to Ituri to help investigate, but samples collected in the field initially tested negative.
Congo declared its first Ebola outbreak in three years early last September. By September 22, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was warning that health facilities there were overwhelmed and supplies were running out.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Additional reporting by Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Bill Berkrot)
