Two Ebola centres remain closed in Alimbongo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beto
Two health centres in Alimbongo, North Kivu, remain closed after two Ebola cases were confirmed among quarantined health workers. The area had recorded 19 cases and 14 deaths by 22 October, while 28 new cases were reported in the province, according to the provincial response coordination team.
Two health centres in the Alimbongo area, in Lubero territory in North Kivu, remain closed after two new Ebola cases were confirmed among their staff, who had been placed in quarantine. The Kitsombiro reference health centre and the Kasingiri health centre have been closed since 3 October, Beto reports.
More than 50 health workers had been in contact with the first nine cases recorded in the Kitsombiro and Kasingiri health areas. Their reopening will depend on the results of laboratory tests and the completion of a 21-day observation period, Beto says.
As of 22 October, Alimbongo had recorded 19 Ebola cases, including 14 deaths, two active cases and three patients who had escaped. Across North Kivu, 28 new confirmed cases bring the total to 2,291 cases and 1,325 deaths, a fatality rate of 58%, according to the provincial response bulletin.
The territorial coordination team, supervised by Colonel Kiwewa Mitela Alain, cites three obstacles: community resistance, a lack of logistical and financial resources, and the occupation of part of the area by AFC/M23. The World Health Organization and the NGO International Medical Corps are supporting the response, while a treatment centre is under construction in Alimbongo. This extension follows the rise in the toll in Lubero and the 28 new cases recorded in North Kivu, announced on 21 and 23 October.
