The health authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported this May 19 that there are approximately 136 people died and 543 suspected cases of Ebolaafter an outbreak registered in the province of Ituri.
According to the DRC Ministry of Health, The outbreak was recorded on May 15 in the east of the country.
“The most recent data indicates 543 suspected cases since the beginning of the outbreak; among them, 136 probable deaths have been recorded,” said Health Minister Roger Kamba.
“These figures include people who died in the community before receiving medical care, as well as cases that are still under investigation“said the minister.
Kamba added that response teams are deployed in several areas, such as “Bunia, Rwampara, Lwemba and Nyakunde“.
The Bundibugyo strain is concentrated in these areas, which has a fatality rate of between 25% and 40%, according to information from Doctors Without Borders.
“Treatment centers have been launched and medical equipment to reinforce care and limit transmission,” Kamba said.
The Ebola virus, according to authorities, would have begun to circulate at the end of April. In addition, cases were discovered in areas such as neighboring province of North Kivu, in the commune of Katwa, in the city of Butemboand in the provincial capital, Goma.
Outside the DRC, Uganda confirmed two cases in Kampala – including one imported from the DRC – and South Sudan detected another case in the state of Western Equatoria, near the Congolese border.
This is the seventeenth outbreak recorded in the DRC since the virus was first detected in 1976.
Also read: Death toll rises: How worrying is the new Ebola outbreak in Africa?