Kinshasa, June 9 (IANS). The number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has increased to 550, including 101 deaths. Meanwhile, health officials have warned that the outbreak of this disease is continuously increasing.
The eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu reported 35 new cases on Sunday, including 10 deaths, according to an update on Monday. During this period, seven patients recovered, after which the total number of people recovering from Ebola increased to 19.
The statement said the outbreak of the disease is still increasing every week. The recent slight decline in epidemic figures may be due to the delay in getting updates from the lab, and not due to the pace of infection slowing down.
As of Sunday, 309 people were in isolation or hospitalized; These included 116 confirmed and 193 suspected cases.
The contact follow-up rate in the three affected provinces increased to 64.4 percent; Of these, 5,418 contacts were under follow-up and 3,489 were tested. This rate remained far below the target of 95 percent.
Lab capacity in North Kivu remained under pressure, with 183 test results pending due to reagent shortages.
The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was officially announced by the DRC Ministry of Health on May 15.
The affected provinces, Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, have a total population of about 15 million and people are experiencing massive internal displacement and migration to neighboring countries, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ebola is a serious disease caused by orthoebolavirus. These viruses are part of the Filoviridae family and cause disease in humans and other primates. The disease was identified in 1976 during near-simultaneous outbreaks in Zaire (DRC) and Sudan (now South Sudan).
The current infection, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was officially announced on May 15. Although the Bundibugyo variant is less common than the Zaire strain, it can still cause severe illness and even death.
–IANS
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