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EBOLA-ADDIS-ABABA
Ebola infects 14 people, kills 9 in Guinea, DRC: Africa CDC
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 23, 2021 (BSS/Xinhua) – Two African countries of Guinea
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reported 14 Ebola virus
cases and nine deaths so far, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (Africa CDC) said Monday.
The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the 55-member African
Union, reported a fatality rate of 64.3 percent in the two countries.
Since the last report, one new confirmed case, two new deaths and no new
recoveries have been reported in the DRC, the Africa CDC said, adding that
three new suspected cases were reported in N’zerekore, Guinea.
The Africa CDC, which emphasized that the number of Ebola cases and deaths
mainly included cumulative probable and confirmed ones, stressed that the
official figures showed that the DRC had seven cases and four deaths while
Guinea had seven cases and five deaths.
According to the Africa CDC, neither of the Ebola virus-affected countries
has so far reported recoveries.
New outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus disease in the two African
countries are sending new jitters to Africa as the continent is still
grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Africa CDC last week announced that it would deploy an emergency
response support team of experts in Guinea to help the country fight the new
Ebola outbreak.
The Africa CDC also said that it will call for an emergency meeting of
experts to better coordinate emergency responses in Guinea and in neighboring
countries across the region, in collaboration with the West African Health
Organization.
The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak claimed over 11,300 lives,
with over 28,600 recorded cases.
Ebola is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever that causes a range of
symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise and
in many cases internal and external bleeding.
BSS/Xinhua/MSY/1056 hrs