The World Health Organization said on Monday that five cases and three fatalities have been confirmed in the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to the WHO regional office, 369 contacts of confirmed Ebola cases have been identified, with 308 being monitored.
The WHO office in the Democratic Republic of Congo stated on social media that infection prevention and control teams are working hard to stop the deadly virus spreading in the northeastern North Kivu province.
Health institutions, homes, public spaces, and other locations where confirmed or suspected patients may have been present are being disinfected, according to the statement.
The latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo was confirmed on Oct. 8, two days after a child died in North Kivu’s Butsili area.
Last week, local authorities started a vaccination drive in the region, sponsored by the WHO, but experts admitted that the number of contacts and cases is expected to continue to rise.
After 11 cases and six deaths, a three-month outbreak in and around Butembo, North Kivu, ceased in May.
According to WHO data, the DR Congo’s 10th Ebola epidemic, which began in North Kivu in August 2018 and lasted nearly two years, was the world’s second biggest, with 3,481 cases, 2,299 fatalities, and 1,162 survivors.
