A deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now killed at least 131 people and triggered an international emergency, as health officials race to stop the virus from spreading even farther.
Local officials say more than 513 suspected cases have been reported so far, and the outbreak is no longer limited to one area.
A spokesperson for the Congolese government said infections are now being detected across a wider region, raising fears that the crisis could grow even more dangerous in the coming days.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international emergency. The current strain is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola known to cause severe illness and death.
So far, two confirmed cases and one death have also been reported in Uganda, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials in Congo have urged the public not to panic, saying response teams are working to trace suspected infections and investigate possible exposures. But concern is growing as cases appear in new areas, including Nyakunde in Ituri Province, Butembo in North Kivu, and the major city of Goma.
The outbreak has also hit close to home for Americans.
An American doctor working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, according to the CDC and the medical missionary group Serge. The group identified the doctor as Peter Stafford.
He is expected to be taken to Germany for treatment, CBS News reported.
Two other doctors with the same group were exposed while treating patients, including Stafford’s wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford. The group said they had not developed symptoms and were following quarantine protocols.
CBS News also reported that at least six Americans may have been exposed to Ebola during the outbreak.
The CDC said it is helping with the safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans directly affected by the crisis, though officials have not publicly confirmed exactly how many people are involved.
The U.S. government is reportedly working on plans to move the group to a safe quarantine location, possibly a U.S. military base in Germany, according to STAT.
During a Sunday press conference, CDC officials declined to answer direct questions about the Americans affected.
In a Monday update, the agency said the risk to the United States remains relatively low. Still, officials are rolling out new precautions to keep the virus from entering the country.
Those measures include monitoring travelers arriving from affected areas, working with airlines on contact tracing, expanding testing capacity, and preparing hospitals to respond if needed.
The U.S. has also issued a Level Four travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of Congo, the strongest warning possible, urging Americans not to travel there.
The CDC also said entry restrictions would apply to non-U.S. passport holders who have recently been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or South Sudan within the last 21 days.
The WHO warned that the outbreak could become “a much larger outbreak” than current numbers show. The agency said there is a serious risk of local and regional spread, though it has not classified the situation as a pandemic.
Ebola remains one of the world’s most feared viruses because it can spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or those who have died from the disease.
The 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa remains the largest on record. More than 28,600 people were infected across multiple countries, and 11,325 people died. That outbreak also reached countries outside Africa, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the number of suspected cases had already climbed into the hundreds. He urged communities to follow public health guidance, especially around funerals.
“We don’t want people infected because of funerals,” Kaseya told the BBC.
During past Ebola outbreaks, traditional burial practices contributed to new infections when people washed or touched the bodies of loved ones who had died from the virus.
The WHO is urging Congo and Uganda to increase cross-border screening to prevent more spread. Nearby countries are also being told to strengthen surveillance in hospitals and communities.
Rwanda said it would tighten screening along its border with Congo as a precaution, while Nigeria said it is closely watching the situation.
For now, health officials say the danger to Americans at home is low. But with deaths rising, U.S. citizens exposed overseas, and cases spreading across new regions, the Ebola outbreak has quickly become a crisis the world cannot afford to ignore.
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