Uganda urges WHO to confirm Ebola outbreak is in eastern Congo

Ugandan officials are urging global health authorities to clarify that the epicenter of a dangerous Ebola outbreak is in eastern Congo, not Uganda, as the virus strain involved bears the name of a picturesque Ugandan district. The Bundibugyo virus, a rare and less-studied type of Ebola, is currently spreading in Congo, where hundreds of people have been infected and there are 160 suspected deaths in two provinces.

Uganda itself has reported only two cases, both involving Congolese nationals who traveled to Uganda before Congo declared an outbreak on May 15. One patient, a 59-year-old man, was admitted to a hospital in Kampala on May 11 and died three days later. A second patient, a woman, is being treated at another Kampala hospital. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni stated that the outbreak is primarily on the Congo side and urged tourism authorities to counter perceptions that Ebola is spreading within Uganda.

In response to the cross-border risk, Museveni announced several measures on Thursday, including urging Ugandans to stop shaking hands, postponing an annual religious pilgrimage that draws thousands to a site near Kampala, and suspending all public transportation and...