Ebola outbreak grows as 2nd case confirmed in DR Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) confirmed a second Ebola case in the North Kivu province on Thursday.

A 42-year-old woman tested positive for the virus in the city of Beni, according to chief medical officer Michel Tosalisana.​​​​​​​The first confirmed case in the fresh outbreak was a male toddler who died at a health center in Beni on Oct. 6.

Tosalisana said more than 170 contacts have so far been listed around the first case, adding that the confirmation of the second case indicates that the list of contacts will grow.

The latest Ebola outbreak, which was announced on Oct. 8, comes after a devastating epidemic killed more than 2,200 people in the restive region in 2018.

Health authorities, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), launched a vaccination campaign in eastern DR Congo on Wednesday.

Roughly 1,000 vaccine doses have been delivered to the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu, while about 200 doses were sent to Beni, the WHO said.

The UN body said the 15 officials sent to DR Congo this month include an expert in prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation, after it recently emerged that more than 80 Ebola responders working under WHO sexually abused people during previous campaigns.

The most recent outbreak of the deadly virus in DR Congo ended in May after killing six people.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Thursday expressed concern that the new Ebola outbreak will “devastate a community still reeling from the last outbreak, fighting COVID-19 and seeing increasing violence and food insecurity.”

Beating Ebola in North Kivu now will be doubly complicated given the impacts of COVID-19, the IRC said, calling for swift action and urgent direct funding.

“Another outbreak in North Kivu could be disastrous if not quickly contained. People in this area have faced decades of violence by armed groups and have now, between Ebola and COVID-19, been faced with disease outbreaks for almost three straight years,” said IRC official Kate Moger.

“It is imperative we apply the lessons learned from past outbreaks to stop the spread of Ebola in DRC and beyond its borders.”