Ebola Outbreak Claims 16 Lives in DR Congo

(MENAFN) At least 16 people, including four healthcare workers, have died in a recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), according to the country's health authorities. The outbreak, which is centered in Kasai province, has led to 28 suspected cases, with laboratory tests confirming the presence of the Zaire strain of the virus.

The Congolese Health Ministry stated on Thursday that the case fatality rate is currently estimated at 57%, though further investigations and laboratory analysis are ongoing to refine these figures. This marks the 16th documented Ebola epidemic in DR Congo, a nation that has grappled with the disease for years.

In response, the government has deployed rapid response teams, with support from experts at the World Health Organization (WHO), to enhance surveillance and establish triage and isolation facilities in affected areas.

Ebola, a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever, is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids or tissues of an infected person. Symptoms typically include high fever, fatigue, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rashes, and internal or external bleeding.

The virus was last recorded in DR Congo in 2022 in the Equateur province, following a devastating outbreak between 2018 and 2020 that claimed nearly 2,300 lives. The country is currently battling armed conflict in its eastern provinces, exacerbated by the M23 rebel group, and has also seen a rise in other health crises, including "mysterious" outbreaks and Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).

To aid in containment efforts, the WHO has pledged to send two tons of medical supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile lab units, and medicines, to Kinshasa. Additionally, the country has a stockpile of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which will be used to inoculate contacts and frontline health workers in Kasai.

This latest outbreak follows a similar situation in neighboring Uganda, where a 32-year-old nurse died from Ebola-related organ failure earlier this year. The WHO confirmed 14 cases, including 12 confirmed and two probable, along with four deaths. However, Uganda's Health Minister Diana Atwine stated in June that the country had “swiftly” contained the outbreak, aided by assistance from Russia’s public health agency Rospotrebnadzor, which provided mobile laboratory equipment and support for epidemiological investigations.

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