Ebola risk upgraded to 'very high' in Congo: WHO chief

Addis Ababa, May 22 (IANS) The public health risk from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been upgraded from high to very high, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

"We are revising our risk assessment of Ebola to very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at global level," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) called for enhanced solidarity to rapidly contain the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In a statement released on Thursday, the African Union's specialised healthcare agency stressed that containing outbreaks "requires speed, coordination, and sustained support for the frontline responders and communities bearing the greatest burden."

The agency further announced that it has committed an immediate financial support of 1 million U.S. dollars to strengthen emergency operations and deployed an eight-member multidisciplinary team to Bunia in the DRC's Ituri Province.

Urging for robust African solidarity in action, the agency welcomed South Africa's contribution of 2.5 million US dollars to support Ebola response efforts. It also recognized the dedication of frontline health workers for their "commitment to ending the outbreak and protecting communities."

Meanwhile, the agency announced that, at the request of the Ugandan government, it is convening a high-level cross-border coordination meeting from Friday to Saturday, bringing together Uganda, the DRC, and South Sudan to strengthen regional preparedness and response.

According to the figures released Thursday by DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba, 626 suspected cases and 159 probable deaths have been recorded since the country declared its 17th outbreak on May 15.

The outbreak, initially reported in Ituri Province, has now affected North Kivu and South Kivu, while two confirmed cases have also been reported in the neighboring country of Uganda.

Ebola virus is highly contagious and can cause symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola fatality rates range from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on the viral subtype.