“We are absolutely concerned about the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” a USAID official told Reuters. “It is not comparable at this point to the outbreak that occurred in West Africa in 2014.” The 2014 outbreak spread to nine countries and totaled 28,000 cases.
USAID officials expressed concern over the active conflict zone in the Congo’s North Kivu province.
“It is occurring in an area of active conflict, so physical insecurity is a persistent challenge and complication to the ongoing response efforts,” the official told Reuters.
The rate of Ebola cases has picked up in recent weeks. Neighboring country Uganda has started vaccinating its health workers in case any Ebola cases spill over its borders.
The World Health Organization has not declared the Congo’s outbreak an international concern. The U.S. has deployed dozens of health experts since August to work with the Congo’s health ministry.
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