Ebola Kills Over 40 People in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda

A growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has killed over 40 people, with the current strain described by the World Health Organization as “a severe and often fatal form” of the disease.

“The Ebola outbreak, announced to be spreading in mid-month, continues to claim more lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, and in neighboring Uganda”

Al-Jazeera Net

NBC News reported that the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 43 confirmed deaths across the countries as of Saturday, including 42 in Congo and one in Uganda, while 349 people are suspected to have died in Congo and Uganda.

Al-Jazeera Net

The WHO said the source of the virus is believed to be the fruit bat, and that human infection can occur through contact with secretions from infected wildlife, before spreading from person to person through the same method.

Doctors Without Borders is helping respond in Congo’s Ituri province, and Deputy Director Alan Gonzalez said, “The virus is spreading faster than we’ve been able to respond,” adding that “correct testing” is key.

On Saturday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia in Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak in the country’s Ituri province, and Tedros advised against unsafe burial practices while urging countries to reconsider travel bans and border closures.

Médecins Sans Frontières warned that the rapid spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has created a “deeply alarming” situation, with MSF deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales saying never before had “so many cases” been recorded so soon after the outbreak was declared.

Speaking as WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the eastern Congolese province of Ituri to oversee virus containment efforts, MSF said there are now more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo and at least 246 deaths.

BBC

NBC News reported that Tedros said Sunday that five patients in Bunia had recovered from the disease, and he spoke about the patients’ good prognosis during the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in the city.

In a separate warning about containment, BBC said Gonzalez stressed that MSF teams were “witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic,” while also saying hundreds of samples remain untested.

BBC also reported that Tedros urged communities in the centre of the outbreak to play a bigger role, and he warned that “Certain practices including touching of bodies of those who have died from Ebola, can spread the virus further.”

In eastern DR Congo, Health Minister Roger Kamba ruled out closing schools despite Ebola deaths, telling reporters in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, “We are not going to close schools.”

“Africa's top public health agency has confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo”

DW

Kamba said the government would implement preventive measures in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces rather than shut down educational facilities, and he said the priority remains safeguarding students without disrupting their education.

Yeni Safak English reported that Kamba voiced concern over five student fatalities since mid-May and attributed the deaths to self-medication and delays in seeking professional medical care.

The WHO recorded at least 134 confirmed cases across DR Congo and Uganda since the outbreak began, with nine infections detected in Uganda and 18 deaths total, according to Yeni Safak English.

DW reported that Africa CDC said it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and global partners to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts, while also warning about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara and intense population movement.