Ebola Resurfaces In DR Congo

Posted by Nwa Diokpa African News, East/Central Africa, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Around Africa Monday, February 8th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says a new case of the Ebola virus has emerged just a few months after the outbreak was declared to have ended in the Central African country.

The ministry of health disclosed this on Sunday saying that a patient who has since died contracted the virus in Butembo, a city in North Kivu province.

The African Examiner notes that Butembo was one of the worst hit towns during the previous Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC.

According to the World Health Organisation, “it is not unusual for sporadic cases to occur following a major outbreak”.

WHO stated that more than 70 contacts of the deceased have been identified saying that its epidemiologists are presently monitoring the situation.

“The expertise and capacity of local health teams has been critical in detecting this new Ebola case and paving the way for a timely response,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said in a statement.

“WHO is providing support to local and national health authorities to quickly trace, identify and treat the contacts to curtail the further spread of the virus.”