U.S. Government Assessing Americans Exposed to Ebola in DRC Outbreak

A number of Americans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are believed to have had exposure to suspected Ebola cases, with several considered high-risk exposures, according to sources who spoke to STAT. At least one individual may have developed symptoms.

No test results are available yet for any of the individuals. The U.S. government is reportedly trying to arrange transport for the individuals out of the DRC to a location where they can be safely quarantined and cared for if infected. One source said there is discussion of possibly taking them to an American military base in Germany.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

The outbreak’s suspected case count stands at least 246 cases, with 80 deaths, including at least four health workers. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a news conference on Sunday to discuss the situation.

When asked whether any Americans have been exposed to Ebola and whether the government is planning to move them out of the DRC, CDC incident manager Satish Pillai did not answer the questions. “We don’t discuss or comment on individual dispositions,” Pillai said.

” Pillai said the CDC is assessing needs on the ground and working to deploy experts to help with the response. The U.S. government has been reaching out to health care institutions with high-containment treatment facilities able to quarantine people who have had high-risk exposures.

An Ebola species called Bundibugyo is responsible for the outbreak. This marks only the third detected Bundibugyo outbreak on record, following previous outbreaks in 2007 and 2012. The outbreak appears to have started in Ituri province in northeastern DRC, near the border with Uganda, South Sudan, and Rwanda.

The area was the site of a previous Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 that involved 3,470 cases and 2,287 deaths. The region has also been affected by longstanding conflict, which complicated the earlier response. Two infected people from the DRC traveled independently to Kampala, Uganda, where one died.

The World Health Organization said there is no indication of ongoing transmission in Uganda.