‘Ebola case’ in European country as ‘catastrophe’ warning issued for deadly disease | World | News

A suspected Ebola case has sparked concern in Austria amid fears the deadly disease may have already spread to Europe. Health officials in Austria said the patient became ill shortly after returning from Uganda, where they are believed to have contracted the newly identified Bundibugyo strain.

It comes as the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering the Ebola outbreak response. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Ituri province in the east of the country was at the centre of a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict”. In a statement posted on X, Tedros said the WHO could not “build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling”.

Officials in Austria have begun contact tracing in an effort to contain any possible spread of the virus, as suspected cases of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola continue to rise in Uganda following exposure among health workers treating patients from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The health officials said in a statement: “Yesterday, a person from the Urfahr-Umgebung district was admitted to the hospital for inpatient evaluation due to symptoms of illness.

“Since the person returned from Uganda on Monday – a country currently affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak – they were isolated and treated in accordance with medical guidelines.”

The patient’s, who has not been named,first blood test came back negative and they showed no symptoms of the virus, but doctors still need a second sample to be certain they are not infected, so the individual must remain in isolation until the follow‑up results are confirmed.

Concerns about the Ebola outbreak’s potential spread have prompted several countries to introduce strict travel restrictions. Uganda announced on Wednesday that its border closure would take immediate effect, allowing only essential personnel—such as medical and humanitarian workers, food transporters and security staff—to cross under tightly controlled conditions.

Canada has imposed a 90‑day entry ban on residents of DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, while the Bahamas has introduced stringent rules requiring foreign nationals from those countries to undergo quarantine or isolation.

The United States last week barred entry to non‑citizens who had recently travelled to any of the three affected nations. Meanwhile, Congolese health authorities report that around 1,000 people are currently exhibiting symptoms consistent with Ebola.