CDC Coordinates Withdrawal of Small Number of Americans Exposed to Ebola in Congo

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Sunday that a small number of Americans are directly affected by an Ebola outbreak occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.S. agencies to coordinate the safe withdrawal of the Americans, the agency said.

It did not confirm the number of people affected, the type of exposure, or whether any individuals had experienced symptoms.

As of Sunday, the CDC said there were 10 confirmed Ebola cases and 336 suspected cases in the DRC. There had been 88 suspected deaths in the DRC, as well as two confirmed cases and one confirmed death in Uganda from people who had traveled to the DRC.

The CDC said that the risk to the American public remains low. Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and does not spread through casual contact or air.

Saturday, the World Health Organization said in a statement that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda constituted a public health emergency of international concern. This strain of Ebola is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no therapeutics or vaccines, the WHO said.

The WHO has declared international public health emergencies over previous Ebola outbreaks as well as COVID-19 and mpox. It is the DRC's 17th outbreak of Ebola since the disease emerged in the 1970s, according to the WHO.

"CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks," CDC acting Director Jay Bhattacharya said on a call with reporters on Friday. " The agency added that it has placed travel health notices for Congo and Uganda to help Americans planning travel to either country and has ordered its offices in the African nations to support global response efforts.

"We don't discuss or comment on individual dispositions," Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC's incident manager for Ebola, said during a press briefing on Sunday. "It is a highly dynamic situation, and at this point, what I would say is, we continue to assess, we will continue to keep you posted as we learn more.