Congolese pastor who is thought to have caused the Ebola outbreak's spread into Uganda was unknown to health officials before he died of the disease, WHO chief says
An ambulance drives from the Bwera general hospital near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bwera, Uganda, June 12, 2019.
As a third relative of the pastor found infected in Uganda died, Dr Mike Ryan said he did not believe the man had been on any list of high-risk Ebola contacts that health workers use to track infections and contain the outbreak. The pastor's positive test for Ebola came back only after he was buried, Dr Dominique Kabongo, coordinator of Ebola response teams in Kasindi, said. Family members traditionally wash and dress the corpse.The first cross-border cases in this Ebola outbreak — the second-deadliest in history — have prompted the WHO expert committee to again consider declaring a global health emergency after twice deciding against it.
For months, officials have feared the virus would cross the heavily-travelled border where health workers have been screening millions of people for fever and other symptoms.Uganda's health ministry on Thursday said it no longer had any confirmed Ebola cases after all members of the Congolese-Ugandan family, including the parents and a six-month-old baby, were sent to Congo for monitoring and experimental treatments as part of clinical trials.
Many people are still dying at home instead of seeking treatment, and their burials put loved ones at risk of infection.
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