Ebola outbreak "spreading rapidly" as suspected cases rise, WHO chief says

By Global News

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The World Health Organization has raised the risk of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola to "very high," at the national level in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Friday. The strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the WHO on Sunday. So far, 82 cases have been confirmed in Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, 177 suspected deaths and almost 750 suspected cases. The situation in Uganda is stable, with two cases confirmed in people who travelled from the DRC, one of them fatal, Tedros said. The WHO's chief scientist, Sylvie Briand, said an antiviral treatment called Obeldesivir could be used among Ebola contacts to prevent them from developing the disease. Obeldesivir is an experimental oral COVID-19 antiviral drug from Gilead Sciences. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/11860188/ebola-outbrea

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