The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that 10 African countries are at risk of being affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa.
Director-General of the agency, Jean Kaseya, raised the alarm on Saturday while addressing concerns over the spread of the deadly virus beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
“We have 10 countries at risk,” Kaseya said, listing Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia as countries vulnerable to possible transmission.
According to him, “high mobility and insecurity” across the region are major factors contributing to the spread of the virus.
The warning followed the decision of the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international emergency.
The outbreak, which is centred in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has recorded hundreds of suspected cases and more than 170 suspected deaths, according to WHO.
Africa CDC had earlier, on May 18, declared the outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of Continental Security,” citing fears of wider regional transmission due to insecurity, weak health systems and increased movement of people across borders.
Ebola is a severe viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons. The disease can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.
