Ebola in DR Congo: 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The Guardian and 24heureinfo
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 10,060 cases and 4,887 deaths, according to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), citing 24heureinfo. The Guardian reports that Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, considers the geographical spread unprecedented and is calling on countries to strengthen their preparedness, warning that the virus could reach the United Kingdom and other countries.
The current outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo variant, does not have a specifically licensed vaccine, unlike the Zaire variant, against which the Ervebo vaccine is used, reports 24heureinfo. Clinical research is under way to assess means of protection.
The response is also hampered by difficulties accessing affected areas, insecurity and attacks on healthcare workers. In Tshopo, an attack on Saturday killed a nurse and seriously injured another health professional; the affected treatment centre suspended its activities, according to 24heureinfo. The outlet also reports that Uganda recorded 20 infections and two deaths before transmission was interrupted in August, and that Nigerian authorities are monitoring 53 people who may have been exposed.
