300,000 people flee Congo, risking Ebola's spread

Violence has forced 300,000 people to flee the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, which could threaten efforts to contain the country's Ebola outbreak, according to UN News.

Intense fighting is occurring in the northeastern part of the country between Congolese armed forces and rebel groups.

Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, said the amount of people fleeing this region creates a "risk factor" for Ebola's spread.

"Every time you have people moving in high numbers, it's more complicated to work on follow-ups: contact-tracing, follow-ups on people basically who are supposed to be observed on a daily basis or for 21 days," he told journalists June 18.  

As of June 17, the WHO reported 2,181 confirmed and probable Ebola cases linked to the outbreak, including 1,459 deaths.

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