New vaccines are currently under development to tackle the Bundibugyo virus, a rare species of Ebola that is behind the latest outbreak.
One of the vaccines is being developed by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), while the University of Oxford and Moderna are also researching two others. There is already a vaccine for the most common Zaire species, which IAVI is attempting to modify to fight Bundibugyo.
Last week, Russia’s Health Minister, Mikhail Murashko, announced that Russian scientists have developed a vaccine against a new strain of Ebola that may also offer protection against Bundibugyo.
The outbreak of Ebola, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has spread to neighbouring Uganda, infecting at least 130 people in total, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Uganda recorded nine confirmed cases, including one death, while DRC reported 17 confirmed deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 906 suspected cases as of May 29.
According to a map shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the DRC, Ebola cases have been recorded provinces sharing land borders with Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi. The cases in Uganda were recorded in the capital city of Kampala.
Two people killed in Kenya protest against US quarantine site plan
Two people were killed in central Kenya on Monday during a protest against a United States proposal to set up an Ebola quarantine facility at a military base in the country, news agency Reuters reported, quoting protest organiser Patrick Wahome and a security source.
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This comes after Kenyan President William Ruto defended the plan to host the quarantine centre for US citizens at Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya. The government approved the plan last week. Ruto said it was part of a long-running partnership with Washington.
However, residents and local leaders in Nanyuki, near the base, held a protest, questioning why Kenya should host the facility for US citizens, adding that they feared it could expose the community.
A protester raises a Kenyan flag near a burning barricade during a demonstration against the proposed Ebola quarantine center. (AP Photo)
The President said Kenya had prepared similar facilities in 23 counties, adding that the new one would serve Kenyans and foreign partners, including Americans, if needed.
“The facility that is at Laikipia Air Base is not a facility different from all the other facilities that we have across Kenya,” Ruto said on Monday.
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So far, no Ebola cases have been detected in Kenya, and President Ruto said the country by tightening screening at land and air borders, vetting about 3,000 people daily.
Reuters reported that a US military C-130 transport plane flew into Nanyuki, citing data from Flightradar24.
US national tests positive for Ebola
On May 17, a US national who was exposed to the virus while caring for patients in the DRC tested positive for Ebola. Infected by the Bundibugyo virus, the patient was transported to Germany for treatment and is currently in stable condition.
Before the report, WHO declared the Ebola outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.”
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While no cases have been confirmed in the United States, the CDC said authorities have enhanced “public health screening and traveler monitoring for individuals arriving from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan.”
