DRC: WHO records 78 cases, 44 deaths in fresh Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that it has recorded seventy eight cases of Ebola and fourty four deaths since August 1, following a fresh outbreak of the virus.

WHO also noted that militia violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preventing aid workers from accessing potential Ebola victims who may have contracted the virus.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO chief, said the region was sprinkled with so-called “red zones”, or inaccessible areas.

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“We don’t know if we are having all transmission chains identified. We expect to see more cases as a result of earlier infections and these infections developing into illness,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a news briefing in Geneva.

“The worst-case scenario is that we have these security blindspots where the epidemic could take hold that we don’t know about,” he said.

Ebola is believed to be transported to long distances by bats and can find its way into bush meat sold at local markets and eaten by unsuspecting locals thereby posing a huge threat.

 

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