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WHO: Ebola outbreak identified in Democratic Republic of Congo
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WHO has announced an outbreak of Ebola in the Equateur province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is believed that this outbreak is unrelated to the ongoing outbreak in West Africa. Neither the index case nor the 80 contacts have a history of travel to the countries in West Africa currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak. They also have no history of contact with individuals from these countries. Patient samples are being evaluated to identify the strain.
From July 28 to Aug. 18, there were 24 suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever, including 13 deaths, according to a WHO media release. The index case was a pregnant woman from the village of Ikanamongo who had butchered a bush animal. She died on Aug. 11 from hemorrhagic fever, which was subsequently identified as Ebola.
Human-to-human transmission has been established and cases include one doctor and two nurses who treated the woman, as well as a hygienist and a ward boy, all of whom died. The other deaths were among relatives of the index case, individuals in contact with the clinic staff and those who handled the bodies during funerals. The remaining 11 cases are currently receiving treatment in isolation centers.