2 months ago
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record in eastern Congo is rapidly spreading beyond its epicenter, Africa's top health body said Thursday.
In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a weekly briefing.
According to the latest government figures released on Thursday, 6,843 cases have been reported, including 3,310 deaths. Ituri province remains the hardest-hit province, with more than 5,400 cases while North Kivu has reported over 1,000 cases since the outbreak was declared in May.
The outbreak in eastern Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements. The situation is particularly concerning at displacement sites, where residents already live in extremely precarious conditions.
The World Health Organization has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
#outbreak #thursday #ituri
In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a weekly briefing.
According to the latest government figures released on Thursday, 6,843 cases have been reported, including 3,310 deaths. Ituri province remains the hardest-hit province, with more than 5,400 cases while North Kivu has reported over 1,000 cases since the outbreak was declared in May.
The outbreak in eastern Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements. The situation is particularly concerning at displacement sites, where residents already live in extremely precarious conditions.
The World Health Organization has said the outbreak remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
#outbreak #thursday #ituri
2 months ago
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — More than 300 people died of Ebola in eastern Congo in the past week, one of the highest weekly tolls yet, government data showed Monday, as health workers struggle to catch up with an outbreak that is spreading at unprecedented speed.
Ministry of Health data showed that as of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths, including 317 deaths reported in the previous seven days. But Congolese experts have said the outbreak that started weeks before it was confirmed could be three times the known size.
This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, with many people dying outside treatment centers. It has recorded seven times more deaths at this stage than the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak that is the deadliest in history with over 11,000 in all.
Most new cases in Ituri province, the current epicenter, still come from outside monitored contacts.
Nearly half of people infected have died — 47.9% — but the government data shows much higher rates in hard-to-reach areas such as North Kivu province, which has a fatality rate of 68.6%.
#ebola #congo #showed
Ministry of Health data showed that as of Saturday, the outbreak had recorded 5,514 cases and 2,642 deaths, including 317 deaths reported in the previous seven days. But Congolese experts have said the outbreak that started weeks before it was confirmed could be three times the known size.
This is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, with many people dying outside treatment centers. It has recorded seven times more deaths at this stage than the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak that is the deadliest in history with over 11,000 in all.
Most new cases in Ituri province, the current epicenter, still come from outside monitored contacts.
Nearly half of people infected have died — 47.9% — but the government data shows much higher rates in hard-to-reach areas such as North Kivu province, which has a fatality rate of 68.6%.
#ebola #congo #showed
3 months ago
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The death toll in Congo's Ebola outbreak has risen to at least 930, the country's Ministry of Health said on Monday, with 37 new deaths reported in a 24-hour span Friday into Saturday, one of the highest totals.
The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the health ministry said.
The Ebola outbreak that was declared in eastern Congo on May 15 is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or ***** , and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease is rare but severe and often fatal.
The surge in deaths comes as safety fears have restricted the response in the worst-affected province of Ituri. A total of five provinces have been affected, all in the eastern region where rebel violence is rampant.
#outbreak #deaths #eastern #disease
The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the health ministry said.
The Ebola outbreak that was declared in eastern Congo on May 15 is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be transmitted to people from wild animals. It spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or ***** , and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease is rare but severe and often fatal.
The surge in deaths comes as safety fears have restricted the response in the worst-affected province of Ituri. A total of five provinces have been affected, all in the eastern region where rebel violence is rampant.
#outbreak #deaths #eastern #disease
4 months ago
Eighty percent of new Ebola cases in eastern Congo are emerging from unknown chains of transmission, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response.
Congo has been battling an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola since May, with no approved treatment or vaccine. The Africa Centres for Disease Control says it is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on the continent.
"Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care," Chikwe Ihekweazu said after returning from Bunia, in Ituri province, one of the worst-hit cities. "And as of today, 80% of new cases are outside our contact lists and so are coming to us from unknown chains of transmission."
People who die outside the health system cannot be isolated, treated or have their contacts traced promptly, increasing the risk of further transmission.
The outbreak, Ihekweazu said, "continues to outpace the response efforts."
Congo has been battling an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola since May, with no approved treatment or vaccine. The Africa Centres for Disease Control says it is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on the continent.
"Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care," Chikwe Ihekweazu said after returning from Bunia, in Ituri province, one of the worst-hit cities. "And as of today, 80% of new cases are outside our contact lists and so are coming to us from unknown chains of transmission."
People who die outside the health system cannot be isolated, treated or have their contacts traced promptly, increasing the risk of further transmission.
The outbreak, Ihekweazu said, "continues to outpace the response efforts."
4 months ago
DAKAR, July 13 (Reuters) - The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to two more northeastern provinces, Haut-Uele and Tshopo, the country's public health institute said in its latest report.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases across the country rose to 1,926, including 702 deaths, official data showed late on Sunday. Four cases were recorded in Tshopo, including two deaths, with one death confirmed in Haut-Uele, as of Saturday.
The latest Ebola outbreak, Congo's 17th, was declared on May 15 and has been largely concentrated in Ituri province, with cases also reported in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
The often fatal viral disease spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.
Reuters reported in late June that Congolese health authorities had started tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola in Tshopo and Haut-Uele, but until now the two provinces had not been included in the government's daily reports.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases across the country rose to 1,926, including 702 deaths, official data showed late on Sunday. Four cases were recorded in Tshopo, including two deaths, with one death confirmed in Haut-Uele, as of Saturday.
The latest Ebola outbreak, Congo's 17th, was declared on May 15 and has been largely concentrated in Ituri province, with cases also reported in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
The often fatal viral disease spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals and causes symptoms that can include high fever, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.
Reuters reported in late June that Congolese health authorities had started tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola in Tshopo and Haut-Uele, but until now the two provinces had not been included in the government's daily reports.
4 months ago
KINSHASA, July 8 (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday that suspected Ebola cases had been reported in a new province, highlighting the expansion of the ongoing outbreak as deaths hit 600.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,759 people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the government's latest situation report published Wednesday night.
But that case total does not include two cases in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province and one of Congo's biggest cities, the situation report said.
One of those cases is linked to the health zone of Niania in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported. But the second case "does not appear to have a geographic link" beyond Kisangani, it said.
The positive test results are in the process of being validated by confirmatory testing, after which they will be included in the official case total, it said.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,759 people across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the government's latest situation report published Wednesday night.
But that case total does not include two cases in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province and one of Congo's biggest cities, the situation report said.
One of those cases is linked to the health zone of Niania in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported. But the second case "does not appear to have a geographic link" beyond Kisangani, it said.
The positive test results are in the process of being validated by confirmatory testing, after which they will be included in the official case total, it said.
4 months ago
DAKAR, June 30 (Reuters) - Congolese health authorities are tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola in two provinces not previously affected by the latest outbreak, amid fears the virus could spread further, a health ministry report and a senior health official said.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,307 people and killed 377 across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to government data released on Monday.
In Tshopo province, health workers are tracing people who may have been exposed to the body of a pregnant woman who died of Ebola in Ituri's Niania health zone, according to a health ministry report dated June 29 and reviewed by Reuters.
The woman fell ill on June 18 and died on June 27, the report said. Her body was transported by motorcycle about 300 km west to the city of Kisangani in neighbouring Tshopo province, where a sample taken at a morgue tested positive for Ebola.
The report said the body's journey through several health zones before the diagnosis was made created a high risk of transmission. Authorities have launched contact-tracing efforts across the province.
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,307 people and killed 377 across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to government data released on Monday.
In Tshopo province, health workers are tracing people who may have been exposed to the body of a pregnant woman who died of Ebola in Ituri's Niania health zone, according to a health ministry report dated June 29 and reviewed by Reuters.
The woman fell ill on June 18 and died on June 27, the report said. Her body was transported by motorcycle about 300 km west to the city of Kisangani in neighbouring Tshopo province, where a sample taken at a morgue tested positive for Ebola.
The report said the body's journey through several health zones before the diagnosis was made created a high risk of transmission. Authorities have launched contact-tracing efforts across the province.
5 months ago
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — For patients in an Ebola outbreak with no approved medicine or vaccine, there is little comfort. But Arlette Basekawike, a volunteer for the U.N. food agency, is doing her best.
Her hair covered by a pink bonnet, Basekawike prepares porridge, omelets and bread for breakfast in a shed outside the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Lunch and dinner might include fresh fish with fufu, made of mashed plantains, finished off by fruit. She feeds both patients and health workers.
“Even though the patients have this disease, they still feel better when they eat, and the doctors have the energy to treat the sick and give them medication,” Basekawike told The ******* ociated Press as she prepared vegetables and potatoes with goat meat in a large pot. “I’m here for them like a parent, preparing food so they feel comfortable.”
Her contribution may appear like a simple task, but it has become a critical support for the remote region as it grapples with the rapidly spreading Bundibugyo virus, the rare species of Ebola confirmed in May.
As of Tuesday, 321 cases including 48 deaths had been confirmed in the Central African nation’s three eastern provinces of Ituri, North and South Kivu, according to the World Health Organization. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the number of suspected cases has dropped to 116 from 906 last weekend as many were ruled out after investigation.
Her hair covered by a pink bonnet, Basekawike prepares porridge, omelets and bread for breakfast in a shed outside the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo. Lunch and dinner might include fresh fish with fufu, made of mashed plantains, finished off by fruit. She feeds both patients and health workers.
“Even though the patients have this disease, they still feel better when they eat, and the doctors have the energy to treat the sick and give them medication,” Basekawike told The ******* ociated Press as she prepared vegetables and potatoes with goat meat in a large pot. “I’m here for them like a parent, preparing food so they feel comfortable.”
Her contribution may appear like a simple task, but it has become a critical support for the remote region as it grapples with the rapidly spreading Bundibugyo virus, the rare species of Ebola confirmed in May.
As of Tuesday, 321 cases including 48 deaths had been confirmed in the Central African nation’s three eastern provinces of Ituri, North and South Kivu, according to the World Health Organization. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the number of suspected cases has dropped to 116 from 906 last weekend as many were ruled out after investigation.
