WHO Reports New Cluster of Ebola Cases in Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has identified a new cluster of presumed Ebola cases based on preliminary laboratory results, the World Health Organization announced yesterday. Further testing is ongoing. “Working closely with the Ministry of Health and partners, we will fight this one as we did the last,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. WHO last week announced the end of an Ebola outbreak in a different part of the African nation after health workers and other high-risk populations received an experimental vaccine that was highly protective against the virus in a large 2015 trial in Guinea. The new cases are in a province near Rwanda and Uganda with cross border movement due to trade. U.S. health care and public health professionals can register to attend a Sept. 19-20 workshop in Omaha, NE, on preparing for Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases, offered by the National Ebola Training and Education Center. NETEC also will offer the two-day workshop later this year in Boston and next year in Denver; Spokane, WA; and Baltimore. For additional Ebola preparedness resources, visit https://netec.org.