On Wednesday, Uganda ordered the closure of its border with Congo, where a rare Ebola outbreak is suspected. they riseand since cases have been confirmed domestically after Ugandan health workers were exposed to the disease in Congolese patients.
The measure, which contradicts the guidance of the World Health Organization, underscores the growing fear of infection in East Africa from Bundibugyo, a rare strain of the late Ebola virus. this outbreak and that has no approved drugs or vaccines.
According to statistics compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the WHO, there are 121 confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo and 17 confirmed deaths, at least 1,077 suspected cases of the virus and 246 suspected deaths from the disease.
In Uganda, there have been seven confirmed cases, including one death from the virus, the CDC and WHO said.
Like Congo, Uganda has experienced Ebola outbreaks in the past. Uganda’s local delegation made the decision to close the border. Ugandan health workers were infected by Congolese patients who had crossed the border before the outbreak of the disease in eastern Congo on May 15.
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Border crossings will only be authorized in emergency situations, including response to disease outbreaks, baggage or security reasons, Dr. Diana Atwine of the Ministry of Health in Uganda, told reporters. Anyone entering from the Congo under emergency conditions will be quarantined for 21 days.
Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of the disease, which often manifests as hemorrhagic fever. The virus is spread through close contact with bodily fluids of sick or deceased patients. Experts say health workers and family members who care for patients face the greatest risk.
On Wednesday, Congolese authorities said the first person to recover from the Bundibugyo virus had been discharged from a treatment center in Rwampara, one of the eastern Congo towns at the epicenter of the outbreak.
The WHO has encouraged the closure of borders with Congo while acknowledging that neighboring countries are at high risk of infection. The UN health center has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of global concern.
The closure “pushes the movement of people and goods to an illegal, unmonitored border, thus increasing the chances of disease spreading,” the agency said.
The Uganda-Congo border is several hundred miles long and crosses many footpaths beyond the official borders. Many people come and go during the day to visit family or trade.
Congolese health authorities are struggling to contain the outbreak, which the WHO says is overwhelming them. A rare strain of Ebola was confirmed weeks late as the most common type tests are performed. Challenges also include the threat from armed groups in eastern Congo, large numbers of homeless people and poor infrastructure.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday called for a halt to fighting in eastern Congo to allow safe access for responders and others, saying on social media that “attacks on health facilities make tracing cases and their communication almost impossible.”
Meanwhile, the US is working to set up place in Kenya to Americans who have been exposed to or infected with Ebola, multiple CDC officials confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday.
A US doctor who contracted Ebola while working with a missionary group in the Congo he was previously flown to Germany for treatment earlier this month. Six other Americans were transported to Germany and the Czech Republic for recruitment.
All US citizens who have recently been to Congo, Uganda or South Sudan must enter the US through one of only three US airports – Houston Bush International, Washington Dulles International or Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International – for mandatory screening. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York will be added to the list of authorized airports on Thursday, US Customs and Border Protection announced.
The Houston airport said it expects to receive up to 50 screened passengers a day.
US green card holders and foreign nationals who have recently been to one or more of those three countries are currently banned from entering the US, according to CDC guidelines.
“We will not and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday at a meeting of President Trump’s Cabinet at the White House.
