Ebola Virus resurfaces in DR Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced a new case of the Ebola virus, months after the outbreak was declared over in the Central African country.

The ministry of health in DR Congo announced that the patient, who has since died, contracted the virus in Butembo, a city in North Kivu province.

You would recall that Butembo was one of the epicentres when the virus broke out some time back.

WHO said more than 70 contacts of the deceased have been identified, stating that its officers are already carrying out necessary investigations.

The World Health Organisation, has however said it is not unusual for sporadic cases to occur following a major outbreak.

In a statement released by Matshidieo Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, he said “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,”

He further stated that “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.”

The statement revealed that, “DRC’s previous major outbreak which ended in June 2020 lasted for nearly two years during which 3,481 persons were infected out of which 2,299 died”.

It revealed further that “Another outbreak which was contained in November 2020 killed 55 out of 130 cases recorded in the northwestern province of Equateur”.

The new Ebola case could threaten the DRC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic which has killed 681 of the 24,600 patients infected in the country