The Democratic Republic of Congo has declared a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, with 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths reported in the southern Kasai province.
The outbreak was confirmed after a 34-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized in August with symptoms including high fever and repeated vomiting.
This marks the country’s 16th Ebola outbreak since 1976, according to the health ministry.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed a national Rapid Response Team, joined by experts in epidemiology, infection prevention, and control, laboratory, and case management, to Kasai Province to strengthen disease surveillance, treatment, and infection prevention.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, emphasized the importance of rapid action to halt the spread of the virus and protect communities.
The DRC has a stockpile of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, effective against the Zaire strain of the virus, which has been prepositioned in Kinshasa and will be quickly moved to Kasai to vaccinate contacts
and frontline health workers.
Provincial risk communication experts have also been deployed to reach communities and help them understand how to protect themselves.
