The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring an outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as cases rise in the conflict-torn country.
In a September 4 bulletin, the WHO said it was alerted by the Congolese health ministry of suspected Ebola cases in the Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province.
The first known index case was a pregnant woman who presented at Bulape General Reference Hospital on August 20, with symptoms of high fever, bloody diarrhoea, haemorrhage and extreme weakness. She died five days later from multiple organ failure.
Consequent to confirmatory laboratory testing, the Ministry of Health declared an Ebola outbreak on September 4.
Ebola virus disease is a serious, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood or secretions of infected wildlife and then spreads through human-to-human transmission.
The WHO disclosed that 28 suspected cases, including 15 deaths (case fatality ratio 54 per cent), have been reported from three areas of the Bulape Health Zone (Bulape, Bulape Com and Dikolo) and Mweka Health Zone, as at September 4. Among the deaths, four are health-care workers. About 80 per cent of the suspected cases are aged 15 years and older.
Six samples were collected from five suspected cases and one probable death from Bulape Health Zone and arrived on September 3 at the National Public Health Laboratory (INRB) in Kinshasa for confirmation testing. All five samples tested positive for Ebola virus through GeneXpert and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays on September 5.
The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, is implementing public health response measures to contain the outbreak.
WHO assessed the overall public health risk posed by the current EVD outbreak as high at the national level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level.
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