Americans in DRC may have been exposed to Ebola, report says

A number of Americans currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to have had exposure to suspected cases in the country’s latest Ebola outbreak, with several deemed to have had high-risk exposures, US health news website STAT News reported on Sunday.

At least one of these individuals may have developed symptoms, the report said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo and Uganda has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), after 80 suspected deaths.

While the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is escalating its response to the outbreak, it did not confirm whether Americans have been exposed to the virus.

The agency plans to deploy additional staff to the affected countries and will provide technical support including laboratory testing, contact tracing and surveillance through its country offices, said Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response incident manager, on a call with reporters on Sunday. It has also activated its emergency response centre.

“The risk to the United States remains low,” Pillai said. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain and has no approved vaccine or treatment. Infected people can transmit Ebola when they are symptomatic, he added.

The actions come after the WHO declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday – stopping short of a “pandemic emergency” declaration – as it looks to mobilise support against the rare strain of the virus. The WHO said the strain has probably been spreading undetected in the region for weeks.