Americans are now among those caught up in the latest Ebola outbreak in central Africa, US health officials said Sunday. The CDC is helping coordinate the evacuation of a "small number" of US citizens "directly affected" by the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the agency said, without stating whether any had been exposed to the virus, which spreads through bodily fluids. STAT and other outlets report Americans have been exposed, with at least one symptomatic individual. CBS News puts the total number at six in the DRC.
The World Health Organization on Saturday labeled the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, warning that the true scale could be larger than reported. The DRC has logged more than 330 suspected cases and 88 deaths, but only a dozen infections have so far been confirmed by lab tests—10 in DRC, two in Uganda, per the New York Times.
The culprit is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has no specific vaccine or treatment and an estimated fatality rate of 25% to 50%, per the CDC. US officials say the risk to the American public remains low; travelers from the DRC and Uganda are being screened, and no infected passengers are known to have flown internationally. The CDC is advising Americans in the region to avoid contact with anyone showing Ebola-like symptoms, including fever, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting.
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