00:00The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm over the scale and speed of a deadly Ebola outbreak sweeping Eastern
00:08Democratic Republic of Congo.
00:10Health officials say at least 131 people have died, with more than 500 suspected cases reported as the virus spreads
00:19through conflict-hit regions near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan.
00:23The WHO has now declared the outbreak an international health emergency, warning the crisis could last for months.
00:32The outbreak involves the rare bundi-bunja strain of Ebola, a variant for which there is currently no approved vaccine
00:39or treatment.
00:40Aid agencies say insecurity in Eastern Congo is making the response even harder.
00:46Uganda has already confirmed cases linked to the outbreak, while the United States has begun screening air passengers arriving from
00:53affected areas.
00:55A Ebola first identified in 1976 spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ
01:04failure.
Comments