Six Americans Exposed to Ebola in DR Congo, US Reports

At least six Americans have been exposed to the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sources told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner.

One person is believed to be experiencing symptoms, while three others are described as having had high-risk contact or exposure. It remains unclear whether any of them have been infected.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was supporting the “safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans who are directly affected” but declined to confirm the exact number.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak in DR Congo an international emergency, with 336 suspected cases and 88 deaths reported.

The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which no approved drugs or vaccines exist.

According to the CDC, there are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.

The U.S. government is reportedly arranging transport for the small group of Americans in DR Congo to a safe quarantine location, a source told health news site STAT.

Quoting a source, the site added that the group could be taken to a U.S. military base in Germany, though this has not been confirmed.

During a press conference on Sunday, the CDC declined to answer direct questions about the U.S. citizens reportedly affected, stating that the risk to the United States remained low.

The United States has also issued a Level Four travel advisory — its most severe level — warning against travel to DR Congo.

The WHO has said the outbreak in DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province is a public health emergency of international concern but did not meet the criteria of a pandemic.

The agency has warned it could potentially be “a much larger outbreak” than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.

More than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.

The disease spread to several countries within and outside West Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, killing 11,325 people.

Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that in the absence of vaccines and effective medicines, people should follow public health measures, including guidance about handling funerals of those who have died from the disease.

“We don’t want people infected because of funerals,” he told the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme.

Community funerals, where people helped wash the bodies of their loved ones, contributed to many infections in the earlier stages of the big outbreak more than a decade ago.

The WHO has advised DR Congo and Uganda, two countries with confirmed cases, to undertake cross-border screenings to prevent the virus from spreading.

It has also urged neighboring countries to “enhance their preparedness and readiness,” including surveillance at health facilities and communities.

Neighboring Rwanda said it would tighten screening along its border with DR Congo as a “precautionary measure.”

Ebola is a disease caused by a virus — it is rare but severe and often deadly. There are three species of Ebola virus that cause outbreaks, and this one is known as Bundibugyo.

Around 30% of people have died in previous outbreaks of the Bundibugyo virus.

Ebola spreads between people through infected bodily fluids, such as blood and vomit.

Symptoms appear between two and 21 days after infection, with initial signs being flu-like, such as fever, headache and tiredness. As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhea develop and organs do not function well. Some patients may develop internal and external bleeding.

Outbreaks begin when a person catches Ebola from infected animals, such as fruit bats.

There are vaccines for the Zaire species of Ebola, but not for Bundibugyo.