REUTERS, Bunia

Medical personnel were rushing yesterday to the frontlines of a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo whose late detection and quick spread have alarmed health experts.

The World Health Organization on Sunday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern because of the high risk the disease could spread further beyond DRC’s borders after two cases were confirmed in Kampala, the capital of neighbouring Uganda.

The outbreak is suspected to have killed around 80 people in recent weeks, with eight cases confirmed by laboratory testing and 246 suspected cases reported in eastern DRC’s Ituri province.

Another case was confirmed in neighbouring North Kivu province’s capital, Goma, according to the M23 rebels who control the city. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said on Sunday that it was supporting partners withdrawing a small number of directly affected Americans.

A delegation led by DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba arrived in Ituri’s capital Bunia on Sunday with tents to set up treatment centres to support strained local hospitals.