The number of confirmed cases of Ebola virus infection in the current outbreak in East Africa could soon reach 500, Sweden Herald reported on June 5, citing the World Health Organization.
According to the epidemiological report, 471 cases have been confirmed so far. 82 people died from the consequences of the infection.
The most cases were recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while neighboring Uganda confirmed 19 infections.
The WHO noted that in the previous 24 hours alone, the number of confirmed cases had increased significantly, and the epidemic itself could acquire significantly larger proportions.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that without drastic measures, the current outbreak could be more serious than the epidemic in West Africa in 2014. Then Ebola hemorrhagic fever claimed more than 11 thousand lives, and the number of infected people exceeded 28 thousand people. According to the center's director, Jason Asher, such a scale is possible.
Experts are calling for tougher containment measures to prevent a repeat of one of the worst Ebola epidemics in modern history.
