The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to spread, with 515 confirmed cases in the country and 19 in neighboring Uganda, according to WHO data from June 6. The disease has killed 91 people so far.

Isabel Brosius, an infectious disease specialist from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, who is working in the DRC, said the outbreak is devastating a country already plagued by conflict and other health threats. She noted that distrust of the government and misinformation exacerbate the sense of insecurity.

The DRC national football team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, but their preparations for the June 17 opener against Portugal have been hampered by the Ebola outbreak. The US regime requires all non-citizens who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan to spend 21 days outside those countries and be symptom-free before entering the US.

The team's training camp, originally planned in Kinshasa, was moved to Belgium, where they trained in a COVID-19-style bubble. A friendly match against Chile was relocated from Spain to Orléans, France, and will be played behind closed doors. Coach Sébastien Desabre said the team is used to adapting.

Brosius emphasized that the risk of international spread is very low, as Ebola is not airborne and requires close contact with an infected person. She called the risk to fans and players "near zero."

The US, Canada, and Mexico have introduced stricter measures for travelers from high-risk regions. Canada has temporarily banned residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan for 90 days. FIFA said it is monitoring the situation.

Veron Mosengo-Omba, president of the DRC football federation, has asked FIFA to refund affected fans who cannot travel to the US due to restrictions. He said fans are "punished" and losing money. FIFA said it will look into the matter "in due course."

Source: www.dw.com