"48 Confirmed and Suspected Cases Reported
Just Two Weeks After Outbreak Declaration"
The death toll from Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), where an outbreak was declared two weeks ago, has risen to 31.
According to major international media outlets on September 18 (local time), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated in a video conference held in Geneva that "it has been two weeks since the government of DR Congo declared the Ebola outbreak," adding, "So far, 48 confirmed and suspected cases have been reported, and 31 people have died." A WHO official explained, "Of the 48 reported cases, 38 have been confirmed," and added, "At the Ebola treatment center in Bulape, Kasai Province in southern DR Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, 15 people are currently receiving treatment and 2 have been discharged."
DR Congo Officially Announces Ebola Outbreak on the 4th
The Ministry of Health of DR Congo officially announced the Ebola outbreak on the 4th, stating that a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was hospitalized last month in Kasai Province in the south with high fever and repeated vomiting was confirmed to be infected with the Ebola virus. Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever, was first identified in 1976. The name "Ebola" comes from the Ebola River in DR Congo, where the first outbreak occurred. This disease is transmitted through bodily fluids and causes high fever and bleeding. If timely and appropriate treatment is not provided, the fatality rate can reach as high as 80 to 90 percent, making it a highly deadly disease.
Ebola virus (blue) destroying monkey kidney cells (yellow).
From 2013 to 2016, 11,300 people died of Ebola in West Africa. In particular, DR Congo has repeatedly declared the outbreak and end of Ebola, and this marks the 16th outbreak.
DR Congo began administering Ebola vaccinations on the 14th. The WHO announced that 760 doses of the Ebola vaccine "Ervebo" have been delivered to Bulape in Kasai Province, and an additional 4,500 doses are expected to arrive in the capital, Kinshasa, within a few days. The vaccinations are being administered to frontline healthcare workers and individuals who have been in contact with confirmed cases.
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