Ebola OUTBREAK 2018: Death toll rises as WHO addresses ‘health emergency’ concerns
EBOLA cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo are dangerously spiking and the number of victims is on the rise. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now addressed calls for a widespread state of health emergency.
By SEBASTIAN KETTLEY
Express.co.uk
Mon, May 21, 2018
At least three new people have contracted the fatal viral infection in the Congo city of Mbandaka, sparking fears of a spreading urban contagion.
The city boasts a population of more than one million people and lies only about 80 miles from where a new spate of infections recently broke out.
Health Minister Oly Ilunga gravely warned another life was lost to Ebola on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 26.
Earlier in May, the National Institute for Biological research in Congo confirmed a new outbreak of Ebola in the small town of Bikoro, on the shores of Lake Tumba.
The recent outbreak of Ebola marks the ninth time the disease has taken a toll on West Africa since its discovery in the 1970s.
Just between April 4 and May 17, a total of 45 cases of Ebola have been reported and 14 have been confirmed by authorities.
The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said most of the infection were contained to the Bikoro Health zone but infections have now spread to Mbandaka.
Fears of a pandemic were also heightened when the WHO warned neighbouring countries Congo-Brazzaville and Central African Republic they are “at high risk of spread”.
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