A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in the Northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the National Institute of Biomedical Research said on Saturday.
A 31-year-old man has died of an infectious disease in the town of Mbandaka, the capital of the DRC’s Equatorial province, the institute said.
The patient began to show symptoms on April 5, but did not seek treatment for more than a week. He was admitted to an Ebola treatment center on April 21 and died later that day, according to a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The previous Ebola outbreak in the country was announced only four months ago, in December 2021.
The WHO is trying to control the disease
Local authorities and WHO representatives are now looking for contact persons.
“The weather is not on our side,” said Matshidiso Moetti, WHO’s regional director for Africa. “The disease is two weeks ahead and we are now playing catch-up.”
The WHO said efforts to reduce the disease were already under way in Mbandaka and that a vaccination campaign would begin in the coming days. The aim is to immunize all people who have come into contact with the deceased patient.
Moetti expressed optimism about controlling the outbreak. “Many people (in the village) of Mbandaka have already been vaccinated against Ebola, which should reduce the effects,” he said.
Previous Ebola outbreaks in the DRC
Mbandaka is already battling two previous Ebola outbreaks – in 2018 and in 2020. The city is overcrowded, with road, water and air connections to the capital Kinshasa.
Ebola is a rare, often fatal disease that can affect humans and primates. In previous outbreaks, mortality ranged from 25 to 90%, according to the WHO.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has observed 13 previous Ebola outbreaks, including one in 2018-2020 in the east, which killed nearly 2,300 people. The latest outbreak, also in the east, infected 11 people between October and December and killed six.
dh / nm (Reuters, KNA)
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