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.
The head of the agency, Jean Kaseya, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing concerns over the spread of the virus beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
“We have 10 countries at risk,” Kaseya said, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), listing Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
According to him, “high mobility and insecurity” in the region are contributing to the spread of the virus.
The warning comes after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international emergency.
The outbreak, centred in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has recorded hundreds of suspected cases and more than 170 suspected deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
Africa CDC 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 population movement across borders.
Ebola is a severe viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.
