Ebola Scare Hits Italy as Two Aid Workers Return from Uganda with Suspected Infection

A pair of aid workers, who recently returned to Italy from Uganda, have been suspected of contracting the deadly Ebola virus. According to reports from the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the duo, comprising a man and a woman from Como, had spent three months in Uganda before developing symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. The man is said to have experienced intestinal problems, while the woman exhibited neurological symptoms. The suspected cases have sparked concern among health authorities, given the ongoing Ebola outbreaks in parts of Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a global health emergency on May 17, following a surge in suspected infections and deaths in eastern Congo and the emergence of confirmed cases beyond the initial outbreak zone. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the Ebola outbreak in Congo as 'extremely serious and difficult' to manage, adding that the epidemic is spreading faster than response operations. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that ten other countries, including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia, are at risk of an Ebola outbreak. The situation is being closely monitored due to the number of cases, infections among healthcare workers, and outbreaks in urban areas. Ebola disease is caused by viruses belonging to the Orthoebolavirus genus, with three strains known to cause major outbreaks in humans: Ebola virus (Zaire), Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus.