Congolese health officials on Sunday confirmed another outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country, the fourth in less than three years
BENI, Congo – Congolese health officials on Sunday confirmed another outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country, the fourth in less than three years. On February 3, a woman died in the town of Butembo in North Kivu province, Health Minister Eteni Longondo announced.
The woman from the nearby village of Biena felt unwell for a few days before being tested at a clinic there. He then went to a hospital in Butembo, but died before receiving the results. The government has begun pursuing all those who have come in contact with it to try to “eradicate the epidemic as soon as possible,” Longondo said.
This is the 12th conflict outbreak in Congo since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976 and comes less than three months after an outbreak in western Equateur province officially ended in November. . The 2018 outbreak in eastern Congo was the second deadliest in the world, killing 2,299 people before it ended in June. This outbreak lasted for almost two years and was fought amid unprecedented challenges, including entrenched conflict between armed groups, the largest measles epidemic in the world and the spread of COVID-19.
Health officials are worried that a new outbreak of Ebola could seriously affect the nation’s fragile health care system, especially as it faces the resurgence of COVID-19.
“While there is hope that this early identification of an infection can help contain this outbreak quickly, the back-to-back Ebola outbreaks and COVID-19 have pushed Congo’s health systems to the brink and this could put a lot of pressure on them. Jason Kindrachuk, an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba in Canada, who is conducting research on the survivors of the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak, the deadliest ever .
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be contracted through body fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. While the source of the contamination is still unknown, the woman who died was the wife of an Ebola survivor, according to the government. The virus can live in the semen of surviving men for more than three years, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and health experts say that as outbreaks become more common, it’s important to understand more about how is contracted.
In a statement on Sunday, the World Health Organization said it was not uncommon for sporadic cases of a major outbreak to occur and that previous responses to Ebola were already facilitating its treatment.
“The experience and capacity of local health teams have been instrumental in detecting this new Ebola case and paving the way for a timely response,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. The WHO is investigating the case and is trying to identify the strain of the virus to establish its link to the previous outbreak.
Congo has suffered from conflict for more than a quarter of a century, and distrust of government health workers and other foreigners is high in eastern Congo. Residents of Butembo are already asking why four days have passed since the woman was tested to announce the results.
“It’s frustrating because the contacts will have moved and it will be difficult to find them,” Vianey Kasondoli, a resident of Butembo, told the Associated Press. “The government and the ministry of health must contain the disease as soon as possible.”