DRC: At Least 17 Infected, 11 Dead In Latest Ebola Outbreak In Equateur Province

The health authorities on Monday reported the deadly Ebola virus has killed 11 people after infecting 17 in a new outbreak in the western province of Equateur in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), reported Reuters.

Last week, the health authorities reported 12 infections in the central African country, which is also combating a measles epidemic that has killed over 6,000 people and COVID-19, which has infected about 4,800 and killed 112.

According to a daily report published by the National Institute of Biomedical Research, there had now been 14 confirmed Ebola cases and three probable cases since a cluster of infections were confirmed in Mbandaka city on June 1.

In a latest update, the World Health Organization confirmed the Ebola cases have been reported in seven health zones across Equateur, including two cases in Bolomba, 300 km (186 miles) northeast of Mbandaka.

The WHO said over 2,500 people have been vaccinated across the province. Vaccination helped combat and control an Ebola outbreak 1,000 km away in the east of the country which has killed over 2,200 people in eastern Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces since August 2018.

Genetic sequencing suggests the latest Ebola outbreak in the DRC is not linked to the one in the east. Notably, the Ebola virus was first discovered near northern Congo’s Ebola River in 1976. The new cases in Mbandaka mark the DRC’s 11th major Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered. It is Congo’s third outbreak in two years of the virus.

Earlier this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released 40 million U.S. dollars in aid to help DRC in its response to Ebola and other health emergencies. The aid money is expected to strengthen the DRC’s existing health services to enable follow-up support for Ebola survivors and establish community-based surveillance, alert and rapid response systems.