A significant increase in cases and deaths from the Ebola virus has been observed in Congo, with authorities entering a state of alert. The country’s authorities reported that the number of people infected with the Ebola virus will continue to rise, while the Ministry of Health has already recorded 671 suspected cases and 160 deaths believed to be caused by the virus so far. The Ministry clarified that 64 infections and six deaths have been confirmed through laboratory tests to be caused by the virus.
Ebola outbreak in Congo: What the WHO emphasizes
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted on Wednesday that nearly 600 suspected cases and 130 deaths attributed to Ebola had been recorded. The agency, part of the UN system, hastened to add that the number of cases is likely much higher, as not all cases are being reported.
How is the situation in Uganda
In neighboring Uganda, the Ministry of Health confirmed that there have been no new infections beyond two citizens from the Democratic Republic of Congo. One of the patients died. The second tested negative for the virus on Wednesday and continued to receive treatment, according to the same source.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC), the current outbreak emerged in the northeastern Ituri province, which borders Uganda and South Sudan, approximately two months ago. This is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the giant African country since 1976.
It is attributed to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are neither vaccines nor specific treatments, making it particularly difficult to contain the outbreak.
How the virus spreads
The Ebola virus, highly contagious and with high mortality, spreads through close contact with infected people or bodily fluids. More than 11,000 people – according to rather conservative estimates – had died during the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015 that swept through West Africa.
