An American doctor has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the death toll in the outbreak surpasses 100 across two provinces. The doctor, who was not named, tested positive in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, according to Dr Jean-Jacques Muyembe, medical director of the Congolese National Institute of Bio-Medical Research.
As of Monday, there were more than 300 suspected cases and 118 deaths in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, with two additional deaths reported in neighbouring Uganda. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday.
Health experts say the Bundibugyo strain spread undetected for several weeks because initial tests looked for the more common Zaire strain, resulting in false negatives. “We are playing catch-up against a very dangerous pathogen,” said Matthew M Kavanagh, director of the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Policy and Politics.
Congo's health minister, Samuel Roger Kamba, announced the government is opening three treatment centres. The WHO has dispatched a team of experts and essential supplies. The first death occurred on April 24 in Bunia, and the body was repatriated to Mongbwalu, a mining area, causing the outbreak to escalate.
The Bundibugyo virus is a rare strain, previously detected only twice: in Uganda in 2007-2008 and in Congo in 2012. It causes fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising. Ebola is highly contagious through bodily fluids and often fatal.
At least six Americans have been exposed to Ebola in Congo, according to CBS News, though this has not been independently verified. US health officials say the risk to Americans is low, and the CDC has issued travel advisories and is implementing screening measures at ports of entry.
