Many might fear the Covid-19 pandemic but a Central African State gives a different story. The World Health Organization has announced at least 74 new Ebola virus cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“So far there are 74 cases, with 70 confirmed and four probable. There have been 32 deaths and 28 recoveries. This is the situation from the 11th Ebola virus outbreak in Mbandaka, Equateur province,” the WHO African Region tweeted.
The WHO office said that a total of 12,959 people have been vaccinated. The 11th Ebola outbreak started in early June.
The DRC has been battling with several diseases including Cholera, Ebola and Measles for the last several months.
Late last month, around one million people were also vaccinated against cholera. The five-day campaign was launched in DRC’s South Kivu province.
The WHO and the DRC government in June declared the country free from the 10th Ebola outbreak.
The second-largest outbreak in the world according to the WHO started in North Kivu on Aug. 1, 2018. The organization says it was the most challenging epidemic since it took place in an active conflict zone. The wave left behind 3,470 cases, 2,287 deaths and 1,171 survivors
The UN health agency deployed over 70 experts in the DRC. UN has promised support in the fight against the virus.
Ebola is transmitted to humans from wild animals. The tropical fever first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and the DRC.
Killing two bids with a single stone
The DRC authorities in Butembo, North Kivu, announced that the contingency plan used during the Ebola response will also be used in the fight against the corona-virus pandemic. The city had just recorded its first cases.
“There are certain Ebola achievements that can help us to make a good response to the corona-virus […] We must make them operational,” Dr. Paluku Lwanza told local daily Actualite.cd.
