Ebola death toll in DRC and Uganda surpasses 1,000, WHO reports
via SeneNews2 min read
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC and Uganda has resulted in 1,001 deaths, according to the World Health Organization WHO on Wednesday, based on data from Congolese health authorities. Since mid-May, the DRC has recorded 999 deaths and 2,473 confirmed cases. In neighboring Uganda, the toll remains at two deaths and 20 confirmed cases, though authorities stated last week that there are no longer any active patients. Uganda must wait another month without new cases to be declared free of the virus. The current outbreak is spreading "faster than all previous epidemics," warned WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week. The epicenter of the crisis is in Ituri province, northeastern DRC, bordering South Sudan and Uganda, accounting for 89.1% of cases and 83.9% of deaths. Trish Newport, Emergency Programs Director for Doctors Without Borders MSF in Bunia, Ituri's capital, noted that tracing contact cases requires "enormous resources" in this poor, conflict-ridden region. Unprotected burials by families in rural areas accelerate contamination, with one death potentially generating up to 17 transmission cases. Local volunteers are often hastily trained and highly exposed to the virus. The 17th epidemic in the DRC, officially declared on May 15, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no vaccine or treatment. A clinical trial for two treatments against this rare strain began in early July, and the WHO has authorized emergency use of the firs
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