KINSHASA, Congo -- An American doctor is among the newly confirmed cases in an outbreak in Congo of a rare variant of the Ebola virus with no approved vaccines or therapeutics, a Congolese official said Monday, and details emerged about the government's delayed response to the fast-moving outbreak where deaths have now surpassed 100.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, MD, PhD, medical director of the Congolese National Institute of Bio-Medical Research, told the Associated Press the doctor is among the cases in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province.
Seven Americans, including one who tested positive late Sunday, are being transported to Germany for monitoring, the CDC's Satish Pillai, MD, said in a call with reporters. Pillai said the American developed symptoms over the weekend.
CDC officials did not immediately respond to follow-up questions about how the confirmed case or other people may have been exposed to Ebola, or to which facility or facilities in Germany they are being taken, or about what the case patient's current condition is.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. As of Monday, there were over 300 suspected cases and 118 deaths in Ituri and North Kivu provinces and two deaths in neighboring Uganda.
