3 weeks ago
DR Congo Ebola death toll surpasses 2,000 as outbreak continues
In a country in Africa called the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a very serious sickness called Ebola is spreading.
More than 2,000 people have died from it.
The sickness makes people very ill, and doctors are working hard to help them.
Thousands of people have become sick, but some have gotten better.
The sickness is worst in a province called Ituri, but it has also appeared in four other places.
People did not know the sickness was there for a while, maybe since February.
The government officially said there was an outbreak on May 15.
There is no vaccine yet to stop this kind of Ebola.
Scientists are testing new vaccines and medicines.
Helpers from around the world are asking everyone to work together to save lives and stop the sickness.
The Ebola death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surpassed 2,000, with 4,381 confirmed cases and 2,011 deaths reported by public health authorities.
The overall case fatality rate stands at 45.9 per cent, with 869 people recovered and over 700 patients still in isolation or hospital care.
Cases have been reported in five provinces — Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo — with Ituri remaining the epicentre of the outbreak.
WHO genetic sequencing indicates the virus may have been circulating since February, months before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.
There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus causing the outbreak, though clinical trials of candidate vaccines and therapeutics are underway.
UN Senior Ebola Coordinator Julien Harneis said half of the deaths occurred in the last 20 days and called on responders to do more to save lives.
- Who
- People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in Ituri province; responders include UN Senior Ebola Coordinator Julien Harneis and WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Yakub Janabi.
- What
- An Ebola outbreak whose death toll has surpassed 2,000, with 4,381 confirmed cases and a 45.9 per cent case fatality rate.
- Where
- Five provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo, with Ituri as the epicentre.
- When
- Death figures were released Tuesday; the outbreak was officially declared on May 15 and may have begun as early as February according to genetic sequencing.
- Why
- The Bundibugyo ebolavirus has been spreading, possibly undetected for months; early infections may have been mistaken for malaria or typhoid, delaying recognition of the outbreak.
Key facts
- Confirmed cases
- 4,381
- Deaths
- 2,011
- Case fatality rate
- 45.9%
- Recovered patients
- 869
- Patients in isolation or hospital care
- Over 700
- Provinces affected
- Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo
- Outbreak declared
- May 15
- Virus
- Bundibugyo ebolavirus
Quotes
Mohamed Yakub Janabi
WHO Regional Director for Africa
“Today the Ebola epidemic surpassed 2,000 deaths, half of these in the last 20 days. All of us in the response, aid workers, organisations, governments, donors, with the community, must do more, and do it today, to save lives and stop Ebola.”
thehansindia.com
“We are chasing the virus. The virus is ahead of us.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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