(CNN) – Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced a new Ebola outbreak on Friday after a case was confirmed in the town of Mbandaka, in the northwestern equatorial province, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement Saturday.
It is the third outbreak in the province since 2018 and the 14th Ebola outbreak in the country since 1976, the WHO said.
“The weather is not on our side,” said Dr Matshidiso Moetti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “The disease is two weeks ahead and we are now playing catch-up. The good news is that health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have more experience than anyone else in the world in rapidly controlling Ebola outbreaks.
So far, only one case has been confirmed, the WHO said. The patient is a 31-year-old man who began experiencing symptoms on April 5. He sought treatment at a local health facility after being ill for more than a week at home. The man was admitted to an Ebola treatment center on April 21 for intensive care, but died later that day, the WHO said.
Health workers recognized the symptoms of Ebola and “immediately” sent samples for testing, the WHO said. “Efforts to stop the current epidemic are already under way,” the organization said, and vaccinations will begin in the coming days.
“Many people in Mbandaka have already been vaccinated against Ebola, which should help reduce the impact of the disease,” Moetti said. “Everyone who was vaccinated during the 2020 epidemic will be revaccinated.” Ebola doctor warns of deadly viruses yet to come
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The deceased patient received “a safe and dignified burial, which includes changing traditional funeral ceremonies in a way that minimizes the risk of infectious fluids infecting those present,” the WHO said. All those who have come into contact with the patient are being identified and will be monitored, and the health facility where the patient received care has been decontaminated, the organization added.
The previous outbreaks in the Equatorial province were in 2020, when 130 cases were reported, and in 2018, when 54 cases were reported, the WHO said.
“Ebola is a serious, often fatal disease that affects humans and other primates,” the WHO added. The mortality rate varies from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks, but effective treatment is available and if patients receive it early, their chances of survival “improve significantly”, the report said.
The DRC’s equatorial forests were the focus of the Ebola crisis in the Central African country, with more than 2,000 people killed by the disease between 2018 and 2020.
The DRC has more Ebola outbreaks than any other country since the virus was first discovered near the Ebola River in the northern region of the DRC in 1976.
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