world health organization
Why the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history is becoming more challenging
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is now the fastest-growing one in history with just under 1,000 people dead, and new challenges are emerging in containing a type of the virus with no approved treatment or vaccine. Strikes by unpaid workers at health centers at the heart of the outbreak could light the flame for […]
Ebola death toll in Congo rises to at least 930, including dozens of health workers
BUNIA, Congo | The death toll in Congo’s Ebola outbreak has risen to at least 930, the country’s Ministry of Health said on Monday, with 37 new deaths reported in a 24-hour span Friday into Saturday, one of the highest totals. The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the […]
More health workers strike as Ebola cases in Congo exceed 2,000, including 754 deaths
BUNIA, Congo | The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo has reached 2,011, including 754 deaths, according to government data released overnight in what authorities say is the fastest-growing outbreak on record. Health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region’s largest medical center, went on strike on Wednesday and are the latest group […]
An AP journalist describes a month in the epicenter of Congo’s Ebola outbreak
BUNIA, Congo | Mourners stood at a distance as a small coffin was lowered into the grave. Health workers wearing masks and gloves joined a priest who prayed. A 6-month-old girl was the latest victim of the Ebola outbreak sweeping through eastern Congo. She was the third child in her orphanage to die. After a […]
Congo’s Ebola outbreak rises to 100 deaths out of 550 cases as conflict slows response
BUNIA, Congo | At least 100 people have died from Ebola less than a month after authorities declared an outbreak of the disease in eastern Congo, authorities said, a grim toll as officials intensify efforts to slow the disease discovered weeks late. Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals and armed […]
5 American cruise ship passengers leave Nebraska quarantine facility
OMAHA, Neb. | Five of the 18 American cruise ship passengers who have been staying at a national quarantine facility in Nebraska after being exposed to hantavirus are going home, U.S. health officials said Monday. The five people will complete their monitoring at home after remaining symptom-free and meeting criteria for monitoring outside the quarantine […]
Uganda closes its border with Congo as cases of a rare Ebola type surge
KAMPALA, Uganda | Ugandan authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of the border with Congo “with immediate effect” as cases surge there of a rare type of Ebola and as others emerge at home. A local Ebola task force led by Vice President Jesca Alupo made the decision after a rise in Ugandan health workers […]
Attacks from suspicious residents complicate the fight against a rare type of Ebola
BUNIA, Congo | Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat. One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and […]
Fears surge on the ground in Congo over the spread of rare type of Ebola
BUNIA, Congo Anxious healthcare workers in eastern Congo said Wednesday they are underprotected and undertrained in the face of a rapidly spreading outbreak of a rare type of the Ebola virus in one of the world’s most remote and vulnerable places. “It’s truly sad and painful because we’ve already been through a security crisis, and […]
Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship docks in the Netherlands for disinfection
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands | The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert. The MV Hondius was still carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached Europe’s largest port on Monday […]