[ad_1]
(MENAFN – Gulf Times) A fourth case of Ebola has been confirmed in the city of Goma, in eastern Congo, the government said on Thursday, raising fears of accelerating infections near the Rwandan border.
The new case is the wife of a minor who died of the virus earlier this week and who sought treatment only more than a week after the onset of symptoms, announced the authorities.
"This time, the person concerned spent time with his family and spent very symptomatic time in the community. We were therefore expecting other cases and we are seeing others, said Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO).
One of the couple's daughters was also tested positive for the Ebola virus, although the government said Friday that two more were negative during the preliminary checks.
More than 200 people who have been in contact with the man were followed and 160 of them were vaccinated.
An Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,800 people in other parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo since its declaration a year ago, making it the second worst-ever recorded.
Two people died in Uganda, which also borders Congo, but no recorded cases have occurred in Rwanda.
Fears that the disease is settling in Goma, a city of a million inhabitants, have subsided after the appearance of its first case in July, but have not were followed immediately.
The government coordinator of the fight against the Ebola virus, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, warned that the authorities had only identified 50% of Ebola cases.
"If we continue on this basis, this epidemic could last two or three years," he said at a press conference in Goma.
New cases confirmed this week were not related to this first case, the authorities said.
Nestled in a mountainous country at the foot of a working volcano, Goma is just 7 km from the main border town of Rwanda, Gisenyi.
On Thursday, Rwanda briefly closed its borders with Congo around the city, following the appearance of new cases.
The growing number of medical screenings has led to a slowdown in border traffic, Health Minister Diane Gashumba said a few hours after Congolese traders announced her closure.
About 45,000 people pbad each day through the main border post, said an immigration official.
In July, WHO declared the epidemic an international health emergency, but the agency said there should be no restrictions on trade or displacement.
"When you close the border, two things happen: first of all, you panicked, people see it as a panic," Harris told reporters in Geneva.
Secondly, people who have symptoms go into hiding. Because they do not want to be seen and want to continue their daily lives, so we are even less likely to detect where this virus is moving, she added.
MENAFN0308201900670000ID1098839168
[ad_2]
Source link
