"Where Africa Comes to Stay Informed."
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"Where Africa Comes to Stay Informed."
Ebola has reached South-Ubangi, with the DR Congo reporting a total of 7,022 cases and 3,398 deaths in the current outbreak.
According to figures from the Congolese authorities, more than 7,000 Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the most severe outbreak of the deadly disease to date.
The DRC officially identified the most recent outbreak in mid-May, resulting in nearly 3,400 fatalities during its 17th epidemic of the highly contagious virus.
It started in the northeastern Ituri province and then extended to the conflict-ridden, isolated eastern and northern areas where armed groups have operated for many years, the state's presence is minimal, and health facilities are predominantly inadequate.
Earlier last week, the disease was confirmed to have spread to a seventh province, South-Ubangi, which shares borders with the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville.
As per the most recent data from the Congolese authorities, there have been 7,022 recorded cases since the onset of the epidemic, with 3,398 fatalities and 1,671 recoveries.
Most recorded cases are in Ituri, where Ebola has been found in schools shortly after the return to classes following the summer holiday, raising concerns among parents and health workers.
“We are extremely concerned, as we have no way of knowing which child belongs to which family or the health status of the family members,” said Angele Magani, mother of a schoolboy in Bunia, Ituri’s provincial capital, in an interview with AFP.
“We are feeling quite anxious, despite the reassurances from the school authorities regarding the health measures that have been implemented,” she added.
Bunia school official Roger Mungimbo informed AFP that “there is a mandatory hand-washing system with soap, and we have also done everything possible to ensure a maximum of 30 pupils per classroom.”
“We consistently inform the children that they should not touch one another, refrain from greeting each other, and wash their hands frequently,” he added.
Ebola has resulted in the deaths of over 15,000 individuals in Africa in the past 50 years. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can lead to severe internal and external bleeding, as well as organ failure.
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