A new outbreak of Ebola has been reported in the city of Mbandaka in the northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Health Minister Eteni Longondo said at a press conference
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2020) A new outbreak of Ebola has been reported in the city of Mbandaka in the northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Health Minister Eteni Longondo said at a press conference.
Mbandaka, the capital of the Equateur province, is a transport hub on the Congo River with a population of more than one million people.
"I can confirm to you that we have a new outbreak of Ebola in Mbandaka ... Therefore, I am planning to go there to provide technical support to the response team," Longondo said, as quoted by the local 7sur7 news website.
According to the minister, samples of suspicious cases from Mbandaka that were sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) came back positive for Ebola.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), confirmed on Monday that a new outbreak of Ebola was detected near Mbandaka, adding that of six registered patients, four have died. The WHO head noted that the country was also in final phase of battling Ebola in its eastern part.
"@WHO already has staff in Mbandaka, #DRC supporting the new #Ebola outbreak response. This outbreak is a reminder that #COVID19 is not the only health threat people face. WHO is continuing to monitor & respond to many health emergencies," Tedros wrote on Twitter.
In April, the country was expected to declare the end of the Ebola epidemic. However, more than 50 days after the region's last Ebola patient recovered on March 27, a new case was reported in the eastern region of Kivu. The patient died on April 10.
The epidemic began in summer 2018 and has claimed over 2,200 lives.
