DRC: resurgence of the Ebola virus in Equateur province

A WHO worker prepares an Ebola vaccine in Mbandaka, DRC.

AP - Sam Mednick

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The Minister of Health declared this Saturday, the resurgence of the Ebola virus in the DRC after the confirmation of a case in Mbandaka, capital of the province of Equateur in the north-west of the country.

The country's health authorities are therefore preparing the response.

And this begins with the identification of contact cases of the patient.

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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,

The virus reappeared in a 31-year-old student who began to experience symptoms as early as April 5, before being admitted two weeks later to an Ebola treatment center, according to Health Minister Jean– Jacques Mbungani. 

But it was already too late, the patient who died the day of his admission, had had time to be in contact with 74 people.

The virus has already taken a head start, but the minister reassures that the response is being organized. 

Teams from the provincial health division are already on the ground to identify and follow up these contact cases, and also to decontaminate health facilities and households.

The authorities are counting on the experience of the 13 previous epidemics that the country has already experienced.

The response should be facilitated by treatments and vaccines already developed.

The equator area is an important focus of Ebola.

In 4 years, the virus has appeared there three times.

The last outbreak was almost two years ago, in November 2020. 

The analysis of the genetic sequence had concluded that it was of a distinct strain from that which appeared between May and July 2018. One being of animal origin. 

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