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Ebola Reaches Congo’s Sud-Ubangi After Patient Traveled Through Rwanda
A man in Congo became sick with Ebola after traveling through several places.
He had also traveled through Rwanda and Uganda.
He later reached Gwaka in Sud-Ubangi province, where he tested positive and died.
Officials declared an Ebola outbreak in that province.
This means Ebola has now been found in seven provinces during the current epidemic.
The man’s long trip may have exposed many other people.
Ebola can cause serious vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and organ failure.
Nearly half of the confirmed cases in this outbreak have been fatal.
A 23-year-old man tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain and died in Gwaka, Sud-Ubangi.
Authorities declared an Ebola outbreak in Sud-Ubangi after Congo confirmed the case.
The man traveled through Rwanda and Uganda before crossing several Congolese locations over three weeks.
The case expanded the outbreak to Congo’s seventh province and raised concerns about transport-corridor transmission.
Congo had recorded 6,942 confirmed infections and 3,349 deaths through Wednesday, with North Kivu reporting rising transmission.
- Who
- A 23-year-old man who traveled through Congo, Rwanda and Uganda; Congolese provincial health authorities confirmed the outbreak.
- What
- The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was detected in the man, who later died, extending the outbreak to Sud-Ubangi Province.
- Where
- The man died in Gwaka, in Congo’s northwestern Sud-Ubangi Province, after traveling through Rwanda, Uganda and several Congolese locations.
- When
- The case was confirmed and the outbreak declared Thursday; cumulative figures cited in the report were recorded through Wednesday.
- Why
- The case raised concerns that Ebola could spread along Congo’s heavily traveled transport corridors and expose people encountered during the journey.
Key facts
- Patient
- A 23-year-old man who traveled for about three weeks before reaching Gwaka.
- Ebola strain
- Bundibugyo strain of ebolavirus.
- Affected province
- Sud-Ubangi became the seventh Congolese province reached by the outbreak.
- Cumulative cases
- 6,942 confirmed infections through Wednesday.
- Cumulative deaths
- 3,349 deaths through Wednesday.
- Geographic spread
- The epidemic had reached 61 health zones across six provinces before the Sud-Ubangi case.
- North Kivu capacity
- Ebola treatment facilities were operating at 132% of available bed capacity.
Sources
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