At least 17 people have died in the northwestern area of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and now, authorities at the World Health Organization said it’s officially an outbreak.
“Working with partners and responding early and in a coordinated way will be vital to containing this deadly disease,” added Salama, who is the WHO Deputy-Director Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Ebola has been reported eight previous times in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the 11th largest country in the world by size. The country’s eastern Ebola river gave the virus its name when it was discovered in the 1970s.
About a year ago, an outbreak of Ebola killed eight people.
“Since notification of the cases on 3 May, no deaths have been reported either among the [hospitalized] cases or the healthcare personnel,” the Health Ministry statement added.
Reuters noted that Ebola is believed to be spread over long distances by bats as the animals can host the virus without dying. Then, they infect other animals that share trees with it. Then, it spreads to humans via infected meat.
Some symptoms include red eyes, external and internal bleeding, rash, headache, joint pains, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, and more.
It notes that there’s “no cure for Ebola. Treatment involves supportive care such as fluids, oxygen, and treatment of complications. Some people who get Ebola are able to recover, but many do not.”
Two years ago, the worst Ebola epidemic in history ended, killing more than 11,000 people while infecting around 28,000 in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
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