Democratic Republic of the Congo’s deadliest ever Ebola outbreak has now reached two more health zones in the east, the Ministry of Health said on Friday, swelling the number of affected zones to 60, The Hindu reported.
The outbreak, based in the northeastern corner of the Congo, has already infected 5,794 people, of whom 2,786 have died, according to official estimates of the world’s fastest-moving and deadliest ever Ebola epidemic. The new areas, Biena and Manguredjipa, are located in the province of North Kivu.
The strain of the virus identified as responsible, the Bundibugyo virus, is not one of the more common types, and there is no widely available vaccine or specific treatment for it.
“The situation in the DRC is still volatile; it’s an evolving event,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director for Africa, told reporters last week. “We are seeing the geographical spread and the movement to the east is one example of this, which gives us cause for concern.”
Health workers are receiving the experimental Ervebo Ebola vaccine under a special compassionate use programme while researchers conduct trials against the Bundibugyo strain.
MSF Monday opened a new 30-bed Ebola treatment centre in the eastern town of Lwemba, as cases rise and demand grows.
