Ebola cases in DR Congo, Uganda surpass 600 amid operational constraints: Africa CDC

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda have surpassed 600 as response efforts face operational constraints, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Tuesday.

In its latest outbreak update, the African Union’s specialized continental public health agency said confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC and Uganda have reached 608, with the death toll climbing to 102 as of Monday.

Uganda has reported no new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours. In the DRC, 45 new confirmed cases were reported during the past 24 hours, bringing the total there to 589, according to the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC warned that ongoing response efforts are “facing significant operational constraints,” noting that health facilities in several affected areas are in poor condition and often lack potable water, incinerators, personal protective equipment, and decontamination supplies.

Insecurity, a shortage of ambulances, growing staffing pressures with some health workers unpaid or without incentives, and poor roads are further slowing access and response operations, it said, while highlighting the existing lack of community trust as “a critical challenge” jeopardizing ongoing response efforts.

The agency also expressed concern over the negative impacts of travel restrictions imposed on affected and at-risk African countries despite guidance from the World Health Organization and the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC outlined several “immediate priorities,” including strengthening community engagement and risk communication, fast-tracking multidisciplinary rapid response teams to high-risk areas, addressing gaps in infection prevention and safe burial, as well as enhancing surveillance and contact follow-up.

The United States Central Command released a statement on Tuesday saying that a U.S. Army Apache helicopter gunship crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and that its two crew members had been rescued.

According to the statement, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down at 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.

The soldiers were rescued within around two hours and are in stable condition.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, although U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the helicopter had been shot down by Iran.

“I have just been informed … that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.

The two pilots onboard the helicopter were rescued and are “safe and uninjured,” Trump said.

“Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he added.