LONDON,
Aug
26
(Reuters)
–
The
outbreak
of
the
Bundibugyo
strain
of
Ebola
in
Uganda
is
over
but
it
is
not
under
control
in
neighbouring
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo,
a
World
Health
Organization
official
told
a
briefing
on
Wednesday.

The
all-clear
for
Uganda
follows
a
declaration
on
July
28
from
the
Ugandan
government
that
it
was
free
of
the
disease,
which
caused
20
cases
and
two
deaths
in
the
country.

The
WHO
monitored
the
situation
until
this
week
to
ensure
that
no
chains
of
transmission
had
been
missed.

But
Dr
Marie
Roseline
Belizaire,
director
of
emergency
preparedness
for
the
WHO
African
region,
told
a
WHO
regional
meeting
that
cases
in
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo
continued
to
rise
despite
some
progress.
The
outbreak
there
is
the
second-deadliest
in
history,
and
outpacing
containment
efforts.

According
to
the
Congolese
government,
as
of
Tuesday
there
have
been
more
than
2,700
deaths
and
more
than
5,600
cases.

“Transmission
remains
very
active,”
said
Belizaire.
“We
have
slowed
the
acceleration,
but
we
have
not
yet
bent
this
curve.”

She
said
there
are
improvements
in
contact
tracing
and
testing,
and
also
that
analyses
of
the
Bundibugyo
virus
have
not
shown
any
signs
of
mutation
despite
the
rapid
spread.

While
she
described
that
as
good
news,
she
also
flagged
an
immediate
$30
million
funding
gap
for
logistical
operations
to
deliver
medical
and
personal
protective
equipment
in
the
worst-hit
areas
of
Congo.

“Without
this
immediate
investment,
we
risk
stalling
the
momentum
we
have
built,”
she
said.

(Reporting
by
Jennifer
Rigby;
Editing
by
Sharon
Singleton
and
Barbara
Lewis)