An Ebola outbreak has killed 65 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, health officials said.
Ebola epidemic PHOTO: Archive
So far, 246 suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever have been reported in Congo's Ituri province, a conflict-affected area bordering Uganda and South Sudan.
Uganda's Ministry of Health said it had also confirmed an outbreak. A 59-year-old man died in a hospital in Kampala from the disease after traveling from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to The Guardian.
Officials at the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said they were concerned about the risk of the outbreak spreading. There are many mining towns in Ituri province, where people are constantly moving, making it difficult to control infectious diseases.
Ebola is a severe disease with a high mortality rate. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood or vomit of infected persons or with their corpses, including during funeral preparations.
The national research laboratory in the Democratic Republic of Congo detected the Ebola virus in 13 of the 20 samples tested.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced 16 outbreaks of Ebola since the virus was identified there in 1976. It has usually been the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, for which there are vaccines.
There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola that has been identified
However, the country's health officials said the samples tested belonged to the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no licensed vaccine. There have been two other outbreaks of the Bundibugyo virus, in 2007 and 2012.
The Africa CDC said it held an emergency meeting on Friday with authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as the World Health Organization and pharmaceutical companies.
“Africa CDC stands in solidarity with the government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in responding to this outbreak. Given the heavy movement of population between affected areas and neighboring countries, coordination fast regional is essential”, said Dr. Jean Kaseya.
The cases were mainly reported in Mongwalu and Rwampara sanitary zones, and suspected cases were also reported in the vicinity of Bunia.
During the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa there were approximately 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths.
