Congo

Congo's Ebola outbreak cases top 1,000 cases, death toll reaches 254

Confirmed cases in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo have reached 1,003, including 254 deaths, officials said in a statement late Sunday. A total of 100 people have recovered in the outbreak concentrated in the Ituri province since it was declared on May 15, Congo's Ministry of Health said. The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatment, was the worst ever in its first month. Officials admit there could be far more cases they still don't know about and that the peak of the outbreak is still ahead. Contact tracing remains a key issue for local authorities, who have only achieved a 55 per cent coverage rate, the ministry said. Officials also are yet to identify the outbreak's patient zero and still need to trace more than 35,000 people who have come in contact with infected individuals as of last week, authorities said.

Ebola cases increase almost 40% in week as death toll passes 200

The Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda has claimed more than 200 lives in its first month and is the worst known outbreak at this stage, with up to 35,000 suspected potential contacts, Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. With 894 confirmed cases so far, the current outbreak is three times worse than a previous outbreak in Uganda in 2000, which had 281 cases at the same point, said Dr Wessam Mankoula, a medical epidemiologist at Africa CDC. The latest number of cases is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed on May 15, weeks after it was suspected to have begun. The number of cases has increased 38% since last week and is now in 32 health zones across eastern Congo, said Mankoula. The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments and was not tested for in the early days. The more common Zaire virus, for which there is a vaccine, was responsible for most of Congo's past 16 outbreaks of

Congo's Ebola outbreak rises to 100 deaths out of 550 cases after a month

At least 100 people have died from Ebola less than a month after authorities declared an outbreak of the disease in eastern Congo, authorities said. Attacks on health workers from angry residents, skepticism among some locals and armed conflict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the spread. Out of the 550 cases of the disease confirmed as of Sunday, there have been 101 deaths and 19 recoveries, according to the latest situation report late Monday. The number of cases though is believed to be higher because the outbreak was confirmed weeks late, and response has been challenging also because the virus has no approved vaccine or treatment. The latest Ebola disease outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which does not have an approved vaccine or treatment unlike the Zaire virus responsible for most of Congo's past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Congo reopens Bunia airport as Ebola outbreak shows early signs of slowing

The airport in Bunia - the capital of Ituri province - resumed operations immediately after health authorities determined that screening and surveillance measures were sufficient to manage travel risk

Congo's Ebola outbreak near 300 as health workers celebrate recoveries

At least 282 cases of Ebola disease have been confirmed in Congo's growing outbreak, the central African nation says, as more joyful stories from recovered medical workers emerge. One nurse spoke of his "indescribable joy" at beating the illness. The outbreak remains focused in eastern Ituri province, where 264 cases have been confirmed, the health ministry said. Congo has reported more than 1,000 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo virus, the species of Ebola that was confirmed weeks after the outbreak quietly began. There is no approved medicine to treat it, or vaccine. The disease outbreak has killed 42 people in Congo and one person in neighbouring Uganda, according to health authorities in both countries. The outbreak has spread to 22 health zones across three eastern provinces in Congo, government data shows, even as the World Health Organization has sought to highlight signs of progress, like new deliveries of supplies to deeply under-resourced health centres. Congo's health .

WHO advisers recommend Ebola drugs be limited to clinical trials only

That means people who are sick now, or are at risk of becoming sick after being exposed to them, may not get access

Congo seeks experimental Ebola antibody as outbreak crosses 1,000 cases

Eastern Congo faces a "catastrophic collision" of war and disease as fighting and displacement accelerate the spread of Ebola and undermine efforts to isolate patients and trace contacts

India sends emergency medical supplies for Ebola outbreak response in Congo

India has sent emergency pharmaceutical supplies to support efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Congo, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. In a social media post, Ethiopia-headquartered Africa CDC said the consignment, donated by India, was received in Uganda by its Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre. The supplies include essential diagnostics, therapeutics, infection prevention and control materials, and case management support, which will be deployed to affected communities in eastern DR Congo, it said. "Africa CDC welcomes the arrival of emergency pharmaceutical supplies generously donated by the Government and people of India to support the ongoing response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC," the continental public health agency said. It thanked India for its "continued support and commitment to protecting lives and advancing health security across the continent". The Bundibugyo strain is one of the six known species

Congo Ebola outbreak is outpacing responders as patients flee clinics: WHO

Congo has reported 101 confirmed Ebola infections, 930 suspected cases and 221 suspected deaths, according to health ministry data released late Monday

Ebola outbreak is one danger, attacks on healthcare workers are another

Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat. One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and suspicion of residents who have pelted her with stones and verbal abuse in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak. "We continue to tell them that the disease is out there. Some accept, and others don't," Birungi told The Associated Press on Monday as she and colleagues spoke with groups of people in a working-class neighborhood under the scorching sun. Aid workers are especially at risk in this volatile region where residents, like Birungi, have long been under threat of armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more in recent years. Trust is hard to find among the traumatised population that is wary of outsiders, even those trying desperately to contain the rapidl

How Congo is battling Ebola amid aid cuts, armed rebels, and anger

Arson attacks on Ebola treatment centers in eastern Congo underscore the serious challenges authorities face -- including a backlash in local communities -- as they try to stem an outbreak of the infectious disease that has been declared a global health emergency. On Sunday, Congolese authorities said suspected cases have now passed 900 in the east of the country, mainly in Ituri Province, where the ongoing outbreak is centered. The burning last week of the centers in two towns at the heart of the outbreak exposed the anger in a region beset by violence linked to armed rebel groups, the displacement of a large number of people, the failure of local government and international aid cuts that experts say have stripped health facilities in vulnerable communities. "A devastating set of emergencies are converging," the Physicians for Human Rights nonprofit said. Here's a look at the longstanding crises in eastern Congo that have made it home to one of the world's worst humanitarian ...

Ebola outbreak in Congo spreading rapidly amid treatment gaps, warns WHO

The agency upgraded its risk assessment to 'very high' in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths from the disease

Ebola spreads silently through Congo's mines and conflict-hit regions

Population growth, climate change and rising human contact with wildlife are fuelling spread of animal-borne diseases like Ebola, though improved detection methods may explain some increase in cases

Ebola outbreak likely started months ago, spread undetected in Africa: WHO

First confirmed death took place April 20, and experts used social media posts to reconstruct the recent progress of the virus after the super-spreader event on May 5

Asian countries tighten precautions against Ebola after WHO declaration

Several govts have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travelers arriving from affected countries, though officials say no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia

WHO-Imperial College analysis suggests Congo Ebola outbreak undercounted

The analysis, based on case data collected through Saturday, found the outbreak was likely substantially larger than officially detected

Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 131, over 500 suspected cases reported

At least 131 deaths and over 500 suspected cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the Congolese health ministry said Tuesday as details emerged about the government's delayed response. Samuel Roger Kamba, the minister of public health, said: "513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been recorded in the affected areas." "These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease." The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected. Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu's

Centre steps up Ebola preparedness after WHO alert in Central Africa

The Health Ministry has strengthened surveillance and preparedness measures after the WHO flagged an Ebola outbreak in parts of Congo and Uganda

Congo announces 3 Ebola treatment centres in Ituri amid ongoing outbreak

The Congolese health minister announced the opening of three treatment centres in the Ituri region in eastern Congo on Sunday evening as he visited the region amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak. "We know that the hospitals are already under stress because of the patients," said Samuel Roger Kamba, the health minister, while visiting Bunia, the capital and largest city in Ituri. "But we are preparing to have treatment centres at all three sites in order to be able to expand our capabilities." The World Health Organisation declared the Ebola disease outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths in Congo and two in neighbouring Uganda. Although the outbreak is centred in Ituri, cases have been reported in the capital, Kinshasa, and in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. In a separate statement on X on Sunday, the WHO Regional Office for Africa said that a team of 35 experts from the WHO and the Congolese ...

WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo, Uganda

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. In a post on X, the World Health Organisation said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, and advised against the closure of international borders. Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal. Health authorities have confirmed the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time the Bundibugyo virus has been reported. Congo accounts for all except two of the cases, both of which were reported in neighbouring Uganda, the W