The current Ebola outbreak in Congo affects an unusually large number of babies and toddlers. One of them was a newborn who was brought to a treatment center in Beni six days after his birth. But now the doctors and authorities have good news: The child's body has managed to defeat the virus. It is cured.
The newborn was discharged from the treatment center on Wednesday. Thus, the child was the youngest Ebola survivor at the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the Ministry of Health announced on Twitter. The authority spoke of a "young miracle".
PlusLa plus jeune guérie d '# Ebola est sortie du Center de Traitement d'Ebola de #Beni. Elle a été admise alors qu'elle n'avait que 6 jours.
Les pédiatres, les réanimateurs et les nounous du CTE se sont relayés à son chevet 24/24 pour lui thon toutes les chances de survivre. pic.twitter.com/djyvXxdNyt
The mother of the child had died during childbirth, reports the Ministry. She most likely transmitted the virus to the baby.
Second biggest outbreak of all time
The current Ebola outbreak in Congo is the second largest ever documented. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of patients has risen to more than 500 cases, and at 457 the virus has been confirmed in the laboratory. 255 people have died so far.
Among the sick in the Congo there are an unusually large number of children, according to Unicef, they make up a third of the cases. Every tenth case affects children under the age of five.
The fact that babies become infected with Ebola was hardly documented before the current outbreak - probably because they are less likely to come into contact with the virus. However, experts suggest that mothers can transmit the pathogen to newborns at birth, through breast milk or through close body contact.
Fighting for mineral resources
Helpers have not been able to control the eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reason for this is above all the precarious security situation in the area. Various militias are active in the area, fighting for mineral resources, among other things. The population is extremely suspicious.
In many areas it is therefore impossible for the medical profession to observe people who may have been infected with the virus. Only if those affected are isolated immediately after the first signs of the disease can the outbreak be limited.
The Ebola virus is transmitted via bodily fluids such as sweat, vomit or blood. The more the disease has progressed in a patient, the greater the risk that it will pass on the deadly virus. The body fluids of the deceased are particularly infectious.