Four new cases of ebola surface in Congo

There was no indication the two outbreaks, separated by more than 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles), are related, Health Minister Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga said in a statement.

“Although we did not expect to face a tenth epidemic so early, the detection of the virus is an indicator of the proper functioning of the surveillance system,” Kalenga said.

The World Health Organization said it had begun moving staff and supplies into the area. “We will fight this one as we did the last,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter.

Congo’s east is volatile, with dozens of rebel groups staging attacks and vying for mineral-rich land. The health ministry said it has put in place security to protect a team of health experts arriving on Thursday.

“This is an active conflict zone,” Peter Salama, the WHO deputy director-general for emergency response, said in a statement, calling the region very different from where the last outbreak occurred. “The major barrier will be safely accessing the affected population.”

The region is near the heavily trafficked border with Uganda and Rwanda and two of Africa’s best-known wildlife parks, Virunga and Rwenzori.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *