Democratic Republic of the Congo: The number of deaths from Ebola is 1,000

The balance sheet of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already exceeded 1,000 deaths, announced the Ministry of Health.

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC began in August and is the second deadliest in history.

Dr. Michael Ryan, deputy director of the World Health Organization, said that mistrust and violence were detrimental to efforts to fight the disease as it spread in the east of the country. country.

Since January, 119 attacks against medical centers and medical staff have been documented, said Dr. Ryan.

WHO staff has forecast a "continuation of intense transmission," he added, during a briefing to journalists in Geneva.

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Health workers have many vaccines: more than 100,000 people have already been treated. But continuing violence in the east of the country, where militias are present, as well as mistrust of doctors, hampers their program, said Dr. Ryan.

"We are still facing major problems of acceptance and trust on the part of the community," he said.

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The DRC is also affected by a measles epidemic that has killed more than 1,000 people and recorded 50,000 cases. WHO staff confirmed the presence of measles in 14 of the country's 26 provinces, both in rural and urban areas.

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• The disease that has come back from the past

The Ebola virus is still contained in two provinces of the DRC, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to monitor the spread of the virus because of the violence. The WHO said the risk of global spread was low, but that it was very likely that cases would spread to neighboring countries.

Most Ebola outbreaks are quickly over and affect a small number of people. Only one time before, an epidemic was developing even more than eight months after its beginning – it was the epidemic in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, which claimed the lives of 11 people. 310 people.

What is Ebola?

• Ebola is a virus that initially causes sudden fever, severe weakness, muscle aches and sore throat.
• It develops into vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding.
• A person is infected when she has direct contact, through a broken skin, or mouth and nose, with blood, vomit, stool or body fluids. a person with Ebola.
• Patients tend to die from dehydration and organic insufficiency.