The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday it is mobilizing an “international response” following an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to coordinate the withdrawal of “a small number of Americans who are directly affected by this outbreak.”
The CDC said in a statement that “the risk to the American public remains low” and it “has systems in place to detect and respond rapidly to potential public health threats.”
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The affected Americans in the Congo are “believed to have had exposure to suspected cases in the country’s latest Ebola outbreak, with several deemed to have had high-risk exposures,” STAT News reported. At least one person “may have developed symptoms.”
The CDC is sending personnel to the Congo early this week, according to the agency’s Ebola response incident manager Satish Pillai. Pillai said in a remote briefing with reporters that the agency is providing support for “surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, border health activities, and community engagement.”
It was reported Sunday night that at least six Americans were exposed to the virus, according to CBS News, though it remains unclear if any people have been infected. One is reportedly symptomatic, with three having faced “a high-risk contact or exposure,” according to sources.
Ebola is a severe and often deadly disease that spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, and vomiting, and may appear within 2 to 21 days after contact.
The specific strain in the outbreak in East Africa is the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, according to the CDC. The agency’s website said to practice enhanced precautions if traveling within the Congo and to avoid contact with people with symptoms and areas where bats live. Pillai said the virus is only infectious when the person with the disease shows symptoms.
Ebola killed more than 11,000 people between 2014 and 2016.
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The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday. The WHO said as of Saturday that “eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases, and 80 suspected deaths have been reported in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Officials have not yet declared the outbreak to be a pandemic.
The WHO also said the “event requires international coordination and cooperation” to “scale up and strengthen operations and ensure ability to implement control measures.”
