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Battle against Ebola continues in DR Congo as virus kills more than 500 people

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24 victims feared dead in the DRC as Ebola spreads

The battle against the dreaded Ebola virus continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the country’s health minister revealing that more than 500 lives have been lost due to the disease.

The death toll could have been more but for a vaccination programme that has prevented thousands of more deaths, the health ministry added.

“In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured,” said a health ministry bulletin published late on Friday, reporting on the outbreak in the east of the country.

Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga however saidthat a vaccination programme had protected 76,425 people and prevented “thousands” of deaths.

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“I believe we have prevented the spread of the epidemic in the big cities” in the region, he said.
“The teams also managed to contain its the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries,” he added.

“The biggest problem is the high mobility of the population,” the minister added.

Recall that the outbreak of the Ebola virus started in the month of August last year in the North Kivu region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda.

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