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Bloomberg

The Democratic Republic of Congo has declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in south-central Kasai province after 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, were reported.
The outbreak has been confirmed in Bulape and Mweka health zones, with patients presenting symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhage. Samples tested this week at the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa identified the strain as Ebola Zaire, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
Health services in Congo have been under strain this year as war and the US government’s decision to cut funding hampered efforts to contain mpox, cholera and measles.
The WHO said a national rapid response team, joined by its own experts, has been deployed to Kasai, along with two tonnes of protective gear, medical supplies and mobile lab equipment.
“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” said Mohamed Janabi, WHO’s regional director for Africa. “Banking on the country’s long-standing 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.”
Ebola spreads through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people and animals and is contagious once patients develop symptoms, making protective equipment and infection control critical for health workers. The remote area takes at least a day to reach by road from the provincial capital Tshikapa and has limited air links.
Cases were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing, according to WHO. Congo has stockpiles of treatments and about 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, which will be deployed to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.
The country’s last outbreak in 2022 was controlled within three months. Kasai province previously reported Ebola cases in 2007 and 2008, and Congo has recorded 15 outbreaks since the disease was first identified in 1976.
A devastating 2018-2020 outbreak killed nearly 2,300 people.
“This outbreak is really a reminder of the ongoing vulnerability of communities across Africa,” Patrick Otim, a WHO Africa health emergency officer told reporters Thursday.
Even with a case fatality rate of almost 64 per cent “we want to stress that there is no need to panic,” Otim said. The country has “built extensive capacity and expertise in health emergency responses”.


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World

The World Health Organization said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing


The World Health Organization said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing.


New Ebola outbreak in DR Congo kills 15, prompting WHO response

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The World Health Organization said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing

The World Health Organization said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing