The Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday (June 1) that health officials have confirmed a second Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The WHO chief announced at a time when a long, difficult and complex Ebola outbreak in the Congo is in the final stages.
The second Ebola outbreak reported in the Congo is announced by the WHO
The Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday (June 1) that health officials have confirmed a second Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The WHO chief announced at a time when a long, difficult and complex Ebola outbreak in the Congo is in the final stages.
According to the Congolese Ministry of Health, six new Ebola cases have been discovered in Wangata, four of which have died and two are alive and well cared for. The Ministry has expressed concern that further cases will occur in the future as surveillance activities increase.
“This is a reminder that COVID-19 is not the only health threat that people are exposed to,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO. “Although much of our attention is focused on the pandemic, WHO continues to monitor and respond to many other health emergencies.”
It should be noted that the Ebola outbreak was first discovered in the Congo in 1976. The city of Mbandaka and its surroundings were the scene of the 9th Ebola outbreak in the Congo, which took place from May to July 2018.
“It is going to be a challenging time, but the WHO has worked with health authorities, the CDC in Africa and other partners over the past two years to strengthen national capacity to respond to outbreaks,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “To strengthen local leadership, WHO plans to send a team to support the expansion of the response. Given the proximity of this new outbreak to busy traffic routes and vulnerable neighboring countries, we need to act quickly. ”
The WHO team is based in Mbandaka to support the response to this outbreak. The WHO team supported sampling and testing, as well as confirmation from the national laboratory. Contact tracking is ongoing.