Two dead in new Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo

The country declared “The disease has had a two-week head start and we are now playing catch-up. The positive news is that health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have more experience than anyone else in the world at controlling Ebola outbreaks quickly.”Vaccines will be sent to Mbandaka and administered through the ‘ring vaccination’ strategy — where contacts and contacts of contacts are vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus and protect lives.The DRC has experienced 13 outbreaks of Ebola in total, including one that started in 2018 and claimed nearly 2,300 victims, according to WHO. The previous outbreaks in Equateur Province were in 2020 when 130 cases were reported, and in 2018, when 54 cases were recorded, the WHO said.Ebola is a severe illness, with fatality rates varying from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks, WHO said, However, effective treatments are now available that improve chances of survival. “Many people in Mbandaka are already vaccinated against Ebola, which should help reduce the impact of the disease,” said Moeti. “All those who were vaccinated during the 2020 outbreak will be revaccinated.”The Central African country has had more Ebola outbreaks than any other country since the virus was first discovered near the Ebola River in the DRC’s northern region in 1976.