Ebola Outbreak in Congo: 282 Cases Reported, Survivors Share Joy

BUNIA, Congo — At least 282 confirmed cases of Ebola have now been reported in Congo's ongoing outbreak, the central African nation said late Sunday, as patients who recovered from the disease spoke of their indescribable joy in interviews with The Associated Press.

The outbreak remains focused in Congo's eastern Ituri province, where 264 of the cases have been recorded, Congo's Ministry of Health said. Congo has reported over 1,000 suspected cases with the Bundibugyo virus, the current species of Ebola, which has no approved treatment or vaccine.

According to the health ministry, the main challenges in containing the outbreak include early detection and rapid isolation of cases, rigorous contact tracing, safe and dignified burials and strengthening infection prevention and control in health facilities.

The contact tracing coverage rate so far is 45% with 220 suspected cases under investigation, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, some of the five people who have so far recovered from the disease spoke of their relief in interviews with The Associated Press.

Baraka Bulambulu, a nurse, said he was overjoyed after the last two Ebola tests on him returned negative.

Bulambulu was among those presented certificates of recovery by the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as he opened a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, on Sunday.

"The first one came back positive, but the second and third were negative for me," Bulambulu said with a wide grin. "Coming out of this illness alive is an indescribable joy."

Ezo Étienne, another nurse who recovered from the disease, said he first started feeling dizzy during ward rounds at the hospital as he checked on patients.

"That was how it started," he recalled. "I called the team and told them, 'Something's wrong here.' I checked my blood pressure and saw that I was immediately experiencing hypotension (low blood pressure). I decided to rest for a bit, and a few minutes later I started vomiting."

The WHO has said all five survivors are health workers — four nurses and a laboratory worker — a group most affected in the outbreak.

Treatments so far have mostly targeted patients' symptoms, the organization has said.

"Your courage gives hope and your living story, that this outbreak can be stopped," Tedros told the health workers on Sunday.

Neighboring Uganda has also reported nine cases of Ebola and closed its border with Congo seeking to limit its spread.

Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, the Bundibugyo virus has been rare. The lack of approved vaccines and treatments, as well as the remote locations and armed violence in hot spots, have made the current response challenging.

Despite the challenges, the recoveries are "a victory worth celebrating," said Dr. Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, the director-general of Congo's National Institute of Public Health.

"It's a strong message that it is possible to recover from Ebola when seeking care early in a dedicated health facility," he added.