U.S. dollar ticks up

The U.S. dollar strengthened in late trading on Wednesday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, added 0.31 percent to 99.529 at 15:00 (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro declined to 1.1598 dollars from 1.1628 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound lost to 1.3416 dollars from 1.3469 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 160.03 Japanese yen, higher than 159.91 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar rose to 0.7924 Swiss francs from 0.7873 Swiss francs, and it was up to 1.3895 Canadian dollars from 1.3832 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar climbed to 9.4065 Swedish kronor from 9.3155 Swedish kronor.

Shortages of supplies and personnel hampering a quick response to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa are the biggest public concern, according to a recent online survey conducted by the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

The survey was carried out to assess public worries surrounding the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its neighbor Uganda.

According to the survey findings, 31 percent of respondents identified the lack of supplies and personnel delaying a quick response to Ebola control as their primary worry, ranking it highest among the options presented in the poll.

Meanwhile, anxiety regarding the epidemic worsening and the risk of a broader global crisis were tied at 28 percent each. Furthermore, 13 percent of those surveyed expressed their greatest fear that the virus could become more deadly.

The Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

The DRC had reported a total of 344 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 60 deaths, and Uganda a total of 15 confirmed cases, including one death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday.

WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The DRC has faced repeated Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified near the Ebola River in 1976. The latest Ebola outbreak is the 17th in the DRC since 1976.