The Minister of Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo Hon Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba has revealed that his country is currently confronting a new Ebola outbreak after health officials confirmed a case in the Southern Kasai Province.
While addressing a press conference in the Capital City Kinshasa yesterday, Minister Mulamba disclosed that the latest infection was identified in a 34-year-old pregnant woman and raises the country’s suspected case count to 28 with 15 deaths, but explained that these figures remain provisional, as investigations are still ongoing.
“These figures remain provisional, as investigations are still ongoing,” Health Minister Kamba Mulamba told a press conference.
The United Nations World Health Organization reported that the outbreak has affected the Bulape and Mweka areas of Kasai Province, with patients exhibiting typical Ebola symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhaging.
The World Health Organization said it has sent experts to join the Democratic Republic of Congo own response team to help strengthen disease surveillance, treatment and infection prevention and control in health facilities and would ship two tonnes of medical and lab supplies to the country.
World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi, told journalista that they were acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities basing on the country’s longstanding expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks.
“We are banking on the country’s longstanding expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks, we’re working closely with the health authorities to quickly scale up key response measures to end the outbreak as soon as possible.” Janabi said.
The current Ebola outbreak is the 16th to hit the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the last coming in April 2022 in the Northwestern Equateur Province which was contained and stopped after about a month.
Ebola whose natural host is the bat was first identified in 1976 and has set off a series of epidemics in various African countries, killing over 15,000 people and its death rate is typically high among the affected victims, ranging up to 90 percent in some outbreaks.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press.
