Epidemic alarm in the country! The number of cases exceeded 10 thousand, the death toll exceeded 4 thousand 800

DRC Ministry of Health shared current data on the Ebola epidemic in the country. Accordingly, while 10 thousand 60 confirmed cases were detected in the Ebola epidemic, 4 thousand 887 people lost their lives and 2 thousand 600 people recovered.

On the other hand, it was stated that approximately 80 percent of the cases in the epidemic were detected outside known contacts.

According to the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), for the epidemic to be considered under control, at least 95 percent of the cases must be among known contacts.

The fact that at least half of the deaths occur among people who are not admitted to treatment centers reveals that some patients cannot access healthcare services or do not report their symptoms to the authorities.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Ebola virus, which causes a type of hemorrhagic fever, first appeared in 1976 with simultaneous epidemics in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, DRC.

Since the epidemic in the DRC started in a village near the Ebola River, the disease was named after this river. The Ebola virus spread in West Africa in December 2013.

In the epidemic seen in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2016, 30 thousand people were infected with the virus and more than 11 thousand of the patients died.

An epidemic was declared in the country on May 15, following 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths announced in Ituri province in the east of the DRC.

According to health officials, there is no approved treatment or vaccine for the "Bundibugyo" Ebola variant that broke out in May.