WHO working with partners to stop Ebola from spreading in DRC

Sep 20 2012

The WHO on Tuesday "said it is continuing to work with authorities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to stop an Ebola outbreak from spreading, with the number of detected cases having reached 46 in the past week," the U.N. News Centre reports. Of the detected cases, 19 have been fatal, and 26 other cases have been identified and are being investigated, according to the WHO, the news service notes. "In a news release, WHO said it is working with the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network to provide support by deploying experts to the field to work with partners," and "the country's ministry of health is working on an epidemiological investigation to identify all possible chains of transmission of the illness and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to interrupt the transmission, and stop the outbreak," the news service writes (9/18).

NPR's "Shots" blog reports on the challenges health care workers face in treating Ebola patients and stopping the spread of the virus. The blog also notes "50 leading experts on Ebola and similar deadly viruses are gathering Wednesday and Thursday at the National Institutes of Health outside Washington to assess several promising treatments for these diseases" (Knox, 9/19).