from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – HEALTH authorities have stepped up efforts to curb the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
A new case has been detected in the Butembo, a city in North Kivu Province, where a previous outbreak was declared over in June last year.
The woman was the wife of an Ebola survivor. She has since died.
Provincial health authorities are leading the current response with support from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The expertise and capacity of local health teams has been critical in detecting this new Ebola case and paving the way for a timely response,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.
“WHO is providing support to local and national health authorities to quickly trace, identify and treat the contacts to curtail the further spread of the virus.”
This is the 11th outbreak of Ebola in DRC.
The tenth outbreak lasted for nearly two years and was the second largest ever in the world.
By the time it ended, there were 3 481 cases, 2 299 deaths and 1 162 survivors.
Insecurity disrupted emergency efforts.
– CAJ News