Health officials in the Congo have confirmed another Ebola outbreak in the east of the country on Sunday, the fourth in less than three years
BENI, Congo – Health officials in the Congo confirmed another Ebola uprising in the east of the country on Sunday, the fourth in less than three years. On February 3, a woman in the town of Butembo in the North Kivu region died, Health Minister Eteni Longondo announced.
The woman from the nearby small town of Biena was feeling ill for a few days before being diagnosed in a clinic there. She then went to a hospital in Butembo, but died before receiving the results. The government has started looking for everyone who came in contact with her to try to “eradicate the disease as soon as possible,” Longondo said.
This is the 12th conflict-torn revolution in Congo since the virus was first discovered in the country in 1976, and comes less than three months after the revolution. in the western Equateur district, which officially ended in November. The 2018 uprising in Eastern Congo was the second deadliest in the world, killing 2,299 people before ending in June. That behavior lasted for nearly two years and was fought amid unprecedented challenges, including strong conflict between armed groups, the world’s largest pandemic, and the spread of COVID. -19.
Health officials are concerned that the new Ebola uprising could have a devastating effect on the country’s fragile health system, especially as it opposes COVID-19 recovery.
“While it is hoped that this early identification of the disease will help to introduce this revolution quickly, the backward Ebola outbreak and COVID-19 have affected health systems. ‘Congo can be stretched to a minimum and this could put more pressure on an already existing machine,’ said Jason Kindrachuk, assistant professor in the department of medical microbiology and infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba Canada and which investigates survivors of the 2014-2016 West African Ebola uprising, the deadliest ever.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted through bodily conditions such as vomiting, bleeding or semen. While the origins of the pollution are still unknown, the woman who died was the wife of an Ebola survivor, according to the government. The virus can live in the semen of those who have survived male for more than three years, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, and health experts say the more frequent the outbreak, it is important to understand more about how it is contracted.
In a statement on Sunday, the World Health Organization said it was not uncommon for sporadic cases to occur after a major uprising and that previous Ebola responses were making it easier to deal with this one.
“The knowledge and capacity of local health teams has been crucial in detecting this new Ebola outbreak and paving the way for a timely response,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa. The WHO is investigating the case and trying to identify the strain of the virus to confirm its association with the previous behavior.
Congo has suffered more than a quarter of a year of conflict and the trust of government health workers and others outside is high in eastern Congo. Residents in Butembo are already wondering why it took four days from the time the woman was tested to announce the results.
“It’s disappointing because the acquaintances will have moved and it will be difficult to find them,” Butembo resident Vianey Kasondoli told the Associated Press by phone. “Government and the health ministry need to contain the disease as soon as possible. “