KIGALI, Rwanda: At least 134 confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, according to an update Friday from the World Health Organisation (WHO), Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The report indicated the confirmed cases included nine in Uganda, and a doctor from the US, who had treated patients in Congo and is currently receiving care in Germany.
Deaths from Ebola stood at 18 among the confirmed cases in the two countries, the report showed, as WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met health and humanitarian partners operating in Congo to discuss the response to the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the country’s east.
“We all agreed on the importance of strengthened coordination and collaboration among all partners, in support of the government and communities in Ituri Province, which is most affected by the outbreak,” Tedros wrote on US social media company X after the meeting.
Congolese health authorities indicated that new suspected cases continue to be registered with a cumulative number of more than 1,000 recorded since the outbreak was declared May 15.
“We also discussed the power of working with community networks, from religious, business and women’s groups, to radio and social media influencers, to communicate effective messaging with local people to build trust in measures that can protect everyone from the virus and help contain its spread,” added Tedros, who arrived Thursday in Congo.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, concentrated in the three eastern Congolese provinces including Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, carries a fatality rate of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent among confirmed cases, according to the WHO.
Authorities have cited contact tracing and follow-up, insecurity, inadequate isolation, care and referral systems for patients among the challenges complicating response efforts.
Since the current outbreak, health authorities reported that a 32-year-old laboratory staff member who contracted Ebola was the first to be cured and discharged after a successful treatment at the Rwampara Hospital in Ituri province. – BERNAMA-ANADOLU
