Sad state of affairs in the Democratic Republic of Congo as deadly Ebola disease has claimed almost 200 lives.
According to the health ministry in DRC, they have recorded 198 deaths from the virus and over 300 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in August, half of the cases coming from Beni, a city of 800,000 people in the North Kivu region.
“At this point, 319 cases and 198 deaths have been registered,” said Oly Ilunga, DRC Health Minister.
“In view of these figures, my thoughts and my prayers go to the hundreds of families grieving, to the hundreds of orphans and the families which have been wiped out,” he added.
DRC has suffered long years of instability and efforts to relieve the disease have been hampered by attacks on medical workers. Since a vaccination programme began on August 8, about 25,000 people have so far inoculated.
This is the 10th time DRC has suffered an Ebola outbreak and is the worst since the country’s first epidemic in 1976. The first outbreak of Ebola, then an unknown disease in a remote part of DR Congo in 1976 sparked terror but was brought under control by experts quickly identifying the virus’ nature and using quarantines.
Ebola is spread via small amounts of bodily fluid and infection which often becomes fatal. Early symptoms are flu-like, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and internal and external bleeding.
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