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.
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