Kampala (Uganda), 27 May (LaPresse) – The Ugandan authorities have ordered the closure of the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo “with immediate effect”, following a surge in cases of a rare variant of Ebola in the neighbouring country and the emergence of cases within Uganda itself. The decision was taken by a local Ebola task force led by Vice-President Jesca Alupo, following an increase in the number of Ugandan healthcare workers exposed to Ebola by Congolese patients who crossed the border before the outbreak was declared on 15 May. Uganda has reported seven cases of Ebola, including the first case of a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala, the capital, on 14 May. The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is approaching 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths.