The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has continued to spread, with the country’s Ministry of Health now reporting 676 confirmed cases and 136 confirmed deaths from the Bundibugyo strain — a jump of more than 70 confirmed cases in a matter of days.
The outbreak now spans 29 health zones across three eastern provinces, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in its latest update. Ituri remains the epicenter with 629 confirmed cases. North Kivu has reported 44 cases, and South Kivu has reported three.
Uganda has reported a total of 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, with most cases linked to travel from DRC. The next World Health Organization update on the global response is expected in the coming days.
The U.S. has urged Europe to step up its Ebola precautions and implement greater “travel restrictions” ahead of the World Cup, which kicked off Thursday. The tournament takes place over almost six weeks, with games being held in Canada and Mexico — although the vast majority will take place in the U.S., with the State Department expecting up to 10 million international visitors to the U.S. alone.
“The department’s highest priority and focus remain protecting the health of the American people and preventing this Ebola outbreak from reaching our shores,” the State Department said in a statement.
The Trump administration has already announced temporary travel bans on people who do not have U.S. passports and have been in affected countries in the three weeks before travel. U.S. quarantine procedures for American citizens involve the planned opening of a controversial Ebola isolation facility in Kenya. Proposals to establish a 50-bed quarantine facility for U.S. citizens affected by the outbreak in DRC have provoked a public backlash in Kenya, although the country’s president, William Ruto, has publicly defended the plan.
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