DRC confirms 2 new cases of Ebola

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Dem. Rep. of Congo (AA) - Two new cases of Ebola were confirmed Saturday in the village of Lakiti, according to local authorities and the World health organization (WHO).

National officials and the medial agency announced Friday that at least one case of the deadly disease had been confirmed in the same city.

Bas Uele province health officer, Dr Charles Kaso, told Anadolu Agency all three patients have been isolated for treatment.

“We are also investigating those who have been living with them,” he said.

The WHO said in a statement it is investigating the three cases and government and agency workers have reached the remote area in Bas-Uele in northeastern Congo.

The agency also said it would provide assistance and technical support, and does not recommend travel or trade restrictions to the country.

Ebola caused global alarm in 2013 when an outbreak began in West Africa and killed more than 11,300 victims and infected an estimated 28,600 others as it swept through the hardest hit nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola viral disease, it is a rare and deadly illness caused by a strain of the Ebola virus.

The viral agent is regarded as a prototype pathogen of viral hemorrhagic fever, with high fatality rates among humans.