5 Ebola virus patients in DR Congo reported dead: WHO

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has reported five Ebola virus cases as of Saturday, all dead, in the latest outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) country office said on Tuesday.

To date, 234 contacts have been identified and are under surveillance, while 1,013 people, including 695 frontline workers, have been vaccinated, the WHO country office said on Twitter.

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that the latest outbreak of Ebola virus was detected in the Mbandaka city of the northwestern Equateur province on April 23, four months after the end of the 13th outbreak was declared.

This is the 14th outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo. In 2018-2020, the deadliest outbreak killed nearly 2,300 people, the second highest toll recorded in the history of the hemorrhagic fever.