131 Dead, hundreds infected in escalating Ebola outbreak

At least 131 people have died in the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, as health authorities warned that the deadly virus is spreading into new areas amid growing fears of a wider regional health emergency.

Officials said more than 513 suspected cases had now been recorded across affected communities, while neighbouring Uganda has already confirmed two Ebola cases and one death, the BBC reports.

The World Health Organization, WHO, has declared the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus an international public health emergency.

Authorities in the DRC disclosed that infections were no longer confined to isolated communities, with new cases now reported in Nyakunde in Ituri Province, Butembo in North Kivu and the eastern city of Goma.

The rapid spread of the virus has triggered renewed concern among international health agencies over the risk of cross-border transmission within Central and East Africa.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, confirmed that an American doctor working in the DRC had contracted Ebola and was being evacuated to Germany for treatment.

Medical missionary organisation Serge identified the infected doctor as Peter Stafford, while confirming that two other doctors exposed during treatment operations, including his wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, were under quarantine protocols.

According to reports, at least six Americans may have been exposed to the virus during the outbreak, although U.S. authorities have not officially confirmed the number.

The CDC stated that it was supporting the “safe withdrawal” of a small number of affected Americans from the DRC.

In response to the outbreak, the United States has introduced emergency measures aimed at preventing the virus from spreading into the country.

The CDC announced that travellers arriving from Uganda, the DRC and South Sudan would face increased screening and entry restrictions if they had visited affected regions within the previous 21 days.

The agency also issued a Level Four travel advisory, its highest warning level, cautioning Americans against travelling to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Health officials said the U.S. would intensify contact tracing operations involving airlines, expand testing capacity and improve hospital readiness in case of imported Ebola cases.

The WHO warned that the outbreak could become significantly larger than currently reported, stressing that weak healthcare systems, cross-border movement and delayed detection remained major risks.

The agency has urged affected countries to strengthen border screenings, surveillance systems and emergency response coordination to prevent wider regional spread.

Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said suspected Ebola cases had risen sharply in recent weeks.

He urged communities to strictly follow public health guidelines, especially during funerals and burial ceremonies, which played a major role in spreading the virus during the devastating 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

“We don’t want people infected because of funerals,” Kaseya warned.

During the 2014-2016 outbreak, more than 28,600 people were infected across several countries, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the United States and the United Kingdom, while over 11,000 people died.

Several African countries have already begun tightening health surveillance and border screening measures in response to the latest outbreak.

Rwanda announced stricter checks along its border with the DRC, while Nigeria said authorities were closely monitoring developments surrounding the disease.