The latest outbreak comes about five months after Congo’s last Ebola outbreak killed 43 people.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent’s top public health agency, confirmed on Friday New Ebola outbreak Congo’s remote Ituri province has so far seen 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that the deaths and suspected cases occurred mainly in the Munwalu and Rwampara health zones.
Ebola virus It is highly contagious and can be contracted through body fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The illness it causes is rare but serious and often fatal.
“Four people have died among the laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation,” the agency said, referring to the capital of Ituri province, near the border with Uganda.
Preliminary laboratory results detected Ebola in 13 of 20 samples tested, the report said.
The latest outbreak occurred about five months after the last Ebola outbreak in Congo was declared over After 43 people died.
Ituri is located in a remote area of eastern Congo with a poor road network, more than 620 miles from the country’s capital, Kinshasa.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was concerned about the risk of further spread of the virus due to high population movements, mobility associated with mining in Monwalu, insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact lists and control challenges.
The report said the proximity of the affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan also raised concerns.
The agency said it would hold an emergency high-level coordination meeting on Friday with health authorities in Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as key partners including U.N. agencies and other countries.
“The meeting will focus on immediate response priorities, cross-border coordination, surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and control, risk communication, safe and dignified burials and resource mobilization,” the statement said.
There have been more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks in Congo
This is the 17th outbreak of the disease since it first appeared in Congo in 1976. Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 Located in eastern Congo Killed more than 1,000 people.
An outbreak that swept through West Africa between 2014 and 2016 also killed more than 11,000 people.
The new outbreak will bring more worries to the Central African country, which has been fighting multiple armed groups in the east, including the M23 rebel group january quick attack Since last year, major cities have been occupied since then.
Ituri in particular has also struggled with violence by the ADF, a militant group linked to the Islamic State that has killed dozens of people there and elsewhere in the east.
Congo, also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is Africa’s second-largest country by land mass and often faces logistical challenges when dealing with disease outbreaks. During last year’s three-month outbreak, the World Health Organization Faced significant initial challenges Vaccines are not available due to limited access and scarcity of funds.
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