Following four deaths in western Congo, 1,000km from the ongoing outbreak, authorities have reported a new Ebola epidemic. “COVID-19 is not the only health threat people face,” WHO chief Tedros said.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared a new Ebola epidemic Monday in the western city of Mbandaka, more than 1,000km (620 miles) away from an ongoing outbreak in the east.
Health Minister Eteni Longondo said four people who died were confirmed as positive cases following tests. “We are going to very quickly send the vaccine and medicine [to Mbandaka],” Longondo told reporters.
“A new #Ebola outbreak detected in western #DRC, near Mbandaka, Équateur province. @MinSanteRDC has identified 6 cases, of which 4 people have died,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on Twitter.
“This outbreak is a reminder that #COVID19 is not the only health threat people face,” he added.
DRC’s 11th outbreak
The DRC has been struggling to put an end to a nearly two-year-old Ebola outbreak near its eastern borders with Rwanda and Uganda which has left more than 2,200 people dead. The current epidemic has been the second-deadliest outbreak of the disease on record. Read more…
