WHO warns of rare Ebola strain in Central Africa.

On June 3rd, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the Ebola outbreak, caused by a rare strain of the virus, in Central Africa is spreading rapidly.

At WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that although the outbreak was declared on May 15th in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the virus may have been silently spreading for one or two months prior to that.

To date, the Central African region has recorded a total of 359 Ebola infections with 61 deaths.

Notably, gene sequencing results identified the causative agent of this outbreak as Bundibugyo – a rare strain of Ebola virus for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Therefore, containing the Bundibugyo strain relies entirely on preventive measures such as isolation, early detection, and symptomatic treatment.

In light of this situation, the head of the WHO urged countries imposing comprehensive travel bans on affected areas to immediately lift these restrictions. Tedros emphasized that lockdowns or excessive travel restrictions do not help stop the virus; on the contrary, they disrupt the supply chain of medical supplies and personnel, isolating efforts to contain the outbreak.

The WHO currently assesses the risk level of this outbreak as "very high" at the national level, "high" for the Central African region, and "low" globally.

RG

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/who-canh-bao-chung-ebola-hiem-gap-tai-trung-phi-a487845.html