The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that a person infected with Ebola traveled through the United Arab Emirates before arriving in Uganda, as health authorities intensify efforts to contain a growing outbreak linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced during a press briefing that the traveler, a resident of the DRC, is among 15 confirmed Ebola cases currently recorded in Uganda.
According to Tedros, the WHO is working closely with authorities in both Uganda and the UAE to gather additional information about the case, assess the risk of exposure during travel, and facilitate contact tracing for individuals who may have come into contact with the infected traveler.
The development comes amid wider concerns over the spread of the outbreak, which continues to affect multiple regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tedros also confirmed that an American citizen who contracted the virus in the DRC remains under medical care in Germany.
Health authorities in the DRC have so far confirmed 344 Ebola cases, including 60 deaths, across 24 health zones spanning three provinces. Officials have also reduced the number of suspected cases to 116, down from more than 1,000 reported last week, as they work through a backlog of investigations.
The WHO reported that six patients have recovered in the DRC, while two recoveries have been recorded in Uganda.
Despite progress in identifying cases, Tedros warned that contact tracing remains a major challenge. He said that only around 45 percent of known contacts have been successfully followed up, well below the more than 90 percent threshold considered necessary to effectively contain the outbreak.
The WHO chief attributed these difficulties to insecurity, population displacement, and high levels of mobility in affected areas, all of which complicate efforts to monitor potential chains of transmission.
The organization has maintained its overall risk assessment for the outbreak, describing the threat as very high at the national level in affected countries, high at the regional level, and low globally.
In parallel with containment efforts, the WHO is accelerating work on clinical trials for Ebola vaccines and treatments in an effort to strengthen the response to the outbreak.
The DRC has faced numerous Ebola outbreaks over the past decades, and Tedros noted that Congolese authorities have successfully contained 16 previous outbreaks, providing valuable experience in managing the disease.
Health officials continue to stress the importance of rapid case detection, contact tracing, and international cooperation as they seek to prevent further cross-border transmission of the virus.
