Ebola Death Toll in DR Congo Surpasses 200... WHO Raises Risk Level to "Very High"

867 Suspected Cases, 204 Deaths
WHO Raises Risk Level to "Very High"
Countries Step Up Measures to Block Ebola Entry

The death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the origin of the Ebola virus, has surpassed 200.

According to AFP on the 23rd (local time), citing a report from the DRC government, the current Ebola outbreak has resulted in 867 suspected cases and 204 deaths.

As Congo's Ituri province fights an Ebola outbreak, on the 23rd, a hygiene worker affiliated with the city government sprayed disinfectant at the central market in Bunia, Congo. Photo by AP

The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously announced that the number of suspected Ebola-related deaths in the DRC was 177 as of the previous day. The WHO stated that the Ebola virus is spreading rapidly and has raised the national risk level from "high" to "very high."

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned that 10 countries, including the DRC, Uganda, Angola, Burundi, and the Central African Republic, are now within the risk zone. The Africa CDC expressed concern that frequent population movement and unstable security are contributing to the spread of the infection.

Chaos continues locally in the DRC, where healthcare infrastructure is fragile. In the eastern region of Mongbwalu, residents resisting government control set fire to a tent clinic, and in the process, 18 suspected patients escaped the site, according to AP. On May 21, there was also a fire at a clinic in the village of Lwampara as residents protested measures restricting the collection of family members' bodies.

▲Ebola has reoccurred in Congo, Africa, requiring caution.
[Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced that three volunteers classified as Ebola deaths appear to have been infected while carrying out local missions around March 27. If confirmed, the onset of this outbreak could be moved up by about a month compared to previous estimates. Health authorities in the DRC have reported that the first death occurred in the northeastern Ituri province at the end of April.

Countries have also begun efforts to block the entry of Ebola. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently designated Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport as an additional enhanced Ebola screening facility, following Washington Dulles International Airport. The United States now requires all travelers who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days to use designated airports and undergo heightened screening procedures.

The United States has also temporarily suspended visa issuance for foreign nationals who have visited Ebola-affected areas, and even permanent residents with a history of travel to high-risk regions are restricted from reentering the country. The United Kingdom is also tracking the travel routes of arrivals from Ebola-affected countries and operating a monitoring program for its citizens who have visited high-risk areas.

Meanwhile, Save the Children, an international NGO for children's rights, is conducting an emergency relief fundraising campaign in response to the spread of Ebola in the DRC. Donations can be made via the Save the Children website, Naver Happybean Fundraising, and Kakao Together Value.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.