Ten African countries at risk identified as Ebola outbreak continue to spread (see list)
Ten African countries at risk identified as Ebola outbreak continue to spread (see list)
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has raised concerns over the possible spread of the ongoing Ebola outbreak across Africa, warning that at least 10 countries are currently at risk.
The Director-General of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, issued the warning on Saturday amid growing fears that the outbreak, which began in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, could spread beyond existing affected areas.
“We have 10 countries at risk,” Kaseya said while addressing the media on the regional threat posed by the virus.
He identified the countries as Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
According to him, increasing movement of people across borders and insecurity in parts of Central and East Africa are worsening the risk of transmission.
“High mobility and insecurity” in the region are contributing to the spread of the virus, he stated.
The warning comes shortly after the World Health Organisation declared the Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency due to concerns over its rapid spread and the fragile conditions in affected regions.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has already resulted in hundreds of suspected infections and more than 170 suspected deaths, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Africa CDC had earlier, on May 18, declared the outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of Continental Security,” citing fears that weak healthcare systems, armed conflict and cross-border population movement could fuel wider transmission across the continent.
Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. The disease can lead to severe bleeding, organ failure and death if not quickly contained.
