Ebola alert raised in South Sudan

There are fears there could be an outbreak of the deadly Ebola in South Sudan.

It follows the influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo who are fleeing violence.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in its weekly brief said at least 42 DR Congo nationals have crossed into South Sudan.

These refugees entered South Sudan’s Yei River State. There are no indications whether or not these Congolese are free from the virus.

According to the UNHCR sensitisation programs are taking place in refugee settlements on how to prevent the spread of Ebola.

The brief from the UNHCR said “In Yei, UNHCR and partners conducted community sensitisation and awareness sessions on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

The key messages focused on the transmission, prevention and the importance of high vigilance on arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo to 42 (11 men and 31 women) members of the community.”

Uganda is already vaccinating its citizens in areas close to the DR Congo border.

Parts of Uganda’s western border are not far from areas within DR Congo where the Ebola outbreak is being contained.

Health officials in DR Congo are battling the outbreak which continues to kill many. The death toll according to Congolese officials continues to increase.

The Ebola virus which is transmitted by bats after detection in DRC was named after the Ebola river. Ebola leads to internal and external bleeding which can cause damage done to blood vessels.