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Ebola death toll surges in DR Congo
BENI, DR Congo, Jan 25, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The number of people killed in an
Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo has risen to 443, health authorities have
announced, as new President Felix Tshisekedi began his first full day in
office on Friday.
The rising death toll — up by more than 40 in the past ten days —
emphasises the challenge of controlling the epidemic in the strife-torn east
and is just one of a host of complex issues facing Tshisekedi.
Tshisekedi was sworn in on Thursday following a long-delayed and bitterly
disputed election, replacing Joseph Kabila after 18 turbulent years in charge
of sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest country.
In his inaugural address, Tshisekedi promised a new era of respect for
human rights. He also faces entrenched poverty, corruption and fighting
between militias who control parts of the east.
In a bulletin on Thursday, the health ministry outlined the growth of the
Ebola outbreak.
“Since the start of the epidemic, the total number of cases is 715,
including 666 confirmed and 49 probable. In all, there have been 443 deaths”
in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, the ministry said.
DR Congo, formerly Zaire, has seen 10 outbreaks of the highly contagious
haemorrhagic disease since it was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola
river in the northwest of the country.
The latest outbreak was declared on August 1 in the region of Beni, a major
market town in North Kivu, and quickly spread to neighbouring Ituri province.
The ministry said 248 people have recovered from the Ebola virus, while
“236 suspect cases” were under investigation — down one from the previous
bulletin on January 15.
The Beni region and parts of Ituri regularly come under attack from local
armed groups and foreign rebels, particularly the feared Allied Democratic
Forces (ADF) from neighbouring Uganda.
The presidential election, held on December 30, was cancelled in Beni,
officially because of the Ebola outbreak and regional insecurity.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1841 hrs