Ebola Was Confirmed in a Major City in the Congo, Stoking Concerns That the Outbreak Will Keep Spreading

A case of Ebola was confirmed in the populous Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Bunia this week, adding to fears that the outbreak there — already the second-worst in history — is far from over. An infant who died in the Bunia health zone was confirmed this week to have the deadly, highly contagious hemorrhagic fever, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The infant’s parents, however, appear to be in good health, raising questions as to how the baby may have been infected with Ebola. Most Ebola cases have been recorded in the DRC’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces, in the northeastern part of the country. This is the first case to be confirmed in Bunia, which is located in the Ituri province and is one of the Congo’s largest cities. “While investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection, teams in place have rapidly implemented response activities including contact tracing, vaccination and heightened surveillance,” the WHO says. Though cases have not been confirmed outside the Congo, continuing geographic spread of Ebola, as well as security issues and conflict in the country, have made it difficult to contain the outbreak, which has sickened nearly 1,000 people and caused 600 deaths since it was officially declared last August. While WHO officials have said the Ebola response appears to be working and the outbreak could be contained by September, projections from Centers for Disease Control and...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Democratic Republic of the Congo Infectious Disease onetime Source Type: news