Ebola: 4,687 deaths and 9,704 cases in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Pmnewsnigeria
The DRC recorded 9,704 confirmed Ebola virus disease cases and 4,687 deaths as of 20 October, according to the World Health Organisation. Transmission remains high, while Kenya has recorded nine cases and Nigeria one imported case, strengthening calls for regional coordination.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded, by 20 October, 9,704 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease and 4,687 deaths linked to the Bundibugyo virus. The crude case fatality rate stood at 48.3% across 66 health zones spread over eight provinces, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Of the 482 deaths recorded since the 8 October assessment, 307 occurred in communities and 175 in treatment centres. The WHO estimates that transmission remains high in the DRC and that these community deaths illustrate the persistent difficulties of early detection and rapid access to care.
The Bundibugyo virus has also spread to Kenya and Nigeria. Kenya had nine cases, including one death, after the confirmation on 6 October of a first imported case involving a person who arrived from the DRC via Uganda. Nigeria confirmed on 20 October an imported case in the Federal Capital Territory, in Abuja, involving a patient who came from Uganda and was placed in isolation, according to the WHO.
The organisation is calling on countries to strengthen cross-border surveillance, controls at points of entry and the rapid management of cases. It advises against imposing travel or trade restrictions on affected countries and is prioritising regional cooperation, the Nigerian news agency NAN reports.
