Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spreads to 6 provinces: Death toll rises to 2,184

The alarm over the Ebola outbreak declared on May 15 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is growing. The outbreak has been detected in the Bas-Uele province, following Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), announced that a person who traveled from Haut-Uele to Bas-Uele, identified as a taxi driver, exhibited hemorrhagic symptoms. Stating that the individual, who had sought medical attention, passed away, Kaseya reported that post-mortem tests confirmed the patient was carrying the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus.

Jean Jacques Muyembe, Director of the DRC's National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), also confirmed the case and stated that Bas-Uele has been officially added to the list of provinces affected by the outbreak. This brings the number of provinces in the country where Ebola has been seen to 6.

According to reports in local media, police intervened after some taxi drivers attempted to take the body following the patient's death. This development has raised concerns that a large number of people may have been exposed to the virus.

NUMBER OF CASES REACHES 4,665

According to the latest data, 4,665 confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the DRC since the beginning of the outbreak. The number of those who have lost their lives has risen to 2,184. It was reported that the majority of cases were seen in the Ituri province, which is the main center of the outbreak.

The Ebola virus, which causes a type of hemorrhagic fever, first emerged in 1976 with simultaneous outbreaks in the cities of Nzara in Sudan and Yambuku in the DRC. The disease is named after the Ebola River, near which the first outbreak in the DRC was observed.

The Ebola virus caused a large-scale outbreak in West Africa in December 2013; between 2014 and 2017, approximately 30,000 people were infected with the virus in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and more than 11,000 people lost their lives.

An outbreak was declared in the country on May 15 following the announcement of 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths in the Ituri province in the east of the DRC. According to health officials, there is no approved treatment or vaccine for the Bundibugyo Ebola variant that emerged in May.

News Source: 12punto