DR Congo Reports 17 New Ebola Deaths, Total Reaches 321

Seventeen more Ebola deaths were registered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past day, bringing the overall death toll up to 321, the country’s ministry of communication and media said in a daily bulletin.

Confirmed Ebola cases currently stand at 1,203, with 48 cases added to the tally during the past day.

The current Ebola outbreak began in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15. Ebola cases and deaths have also been reported from neighboring Uganda.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) as "a severe, often fatal illness in humans," with the average case fatality rate of around 50%. Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. The incubation period is 2 to 21 days. During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact with sick people and deceased patients.