In response to a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak, Uganda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. This news comes as the suspected cases reach over 1,000.
According to the numbers compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 121 confirmed Ebola cases in Congo and 17 confirmed deaths, with at least 1,077 additional suspected cases of the virus and 246 suspected deaths from the disease.
The WHO, which is run by the United Nations, has discouraged border closures as a means of containing the virus. Closures “push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease,” the agency said.
The goal of health officials is to track and trace anyone who could have had contact with infected people.
WHO added that this virus is quickly outpacing Congolese health authorities.
Part of the issue is that the rare type of Ebola infecting people was confirmed weeks later, as tests were carried out for a more common type of the virus. Other challenges also include the threat from armed groups in eastern Congo, a large number of displaced people, and poor infrastructure.
The Ebola Outbreak is More Concerning Than The Hantavirus
According to a report by CBS News, there were seven confirmed cases in Uganda of this Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, including one death from it, the CDC and WHO said.
Border crossings will be authorized only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, cargo or security reasons, Dr. Diana Atwine of the Ugandan Ministry of Health told journalists. Anyone entering from Congo under emergency circumstances will be taken into mandatory isolation for 21 days.
EBOLA OUTBREAK: 900 Suspected Cases As Virus Spreads
Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids, not through the air. This makes healthcare workers and family members the most susceptible to contracting the virus.
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during President Trump’s Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday that no one with Ebola can enter the US. “We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” Rubio stated.
US green card holders and foreign nationals who have recently been in one or more of the countries experiencing the outbreak (Uganda, Congo, and South Sudan) are currently banned from entering the US, according to CDC guidelines listed on the website.
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