At least six American humanitarian workers have been exposed to the Ebola virus in eastern Congo, according to US health officials, raising concerns about potential transmission beyond Africa as the deadly outbreak intensifies in one of the world's most unstable regions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Saturday that the exposed individuals—all working with international aid organizations in North Kivu province—are currently undergoing monitoring and have been placed in isolation as a precautionary measure, CBS News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
None of the six Americans have tested positive for Ebola as of Sunday morning, but all had "high-risk exposures" to confirmed cases while providing medical care or conducting outbreak investigations in the provincial capital of Goma. The CDC declined to identify the individuals or their affiliated organizations, citing privacy concerns.
To understand today's headlines, we must look at yesterday's decisions. The current outbreak, which was declared in North Kivu province in February, has already claimed 47 lives among 89 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization. The region's ongoing armed conflict, which has displaced more than two million people, has severely hampered containment efforts and vaccination campaigns.
The situation bears uncomfortable similarities to the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people and spread to seven countries before being contained. That outbreak saw several American healthcare workers infected, including Dr. Kent Brantly and nurse Nina Pham, both of whom survived after receiving experimental treatments and intensive care in the United States.
Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told reporters that while the risk of Ebola spreading within the remains the exposures highlight the dangers faced by frontline healthcare workers in outbreak zones. said.
