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The number of people killed during an Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC has risen to 443, health authorities said, while new President Felix Tshisekedi began Friday his first day. complete mandate.
The increase in the number of deaths – more than 40 in the last ten days – puts the spotlight on the challenge of controlling the epidemic in the East is torn by conflict and is no longer an issue. is one of the many complex problems that Tshisekedi is facing.
Tshisekedi was sworn in on Thursday following a long-delayed and hard-fought election, which replaces Joseph Kabila after 18 tumultuous years at the helm of the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa.
In his inaugural speech, Tshisekedi promised a new era of respect for human rights. It is also confronted with entrenched poverty, corruption and fighting between militias that control parts of the east.
In a newsletter released Thursday, the Ministry of Health highlighted the growth of the Ebola outbreak.
"Since the beginning of the epidemic, the total number of cases is 715, of which 666 confirmed and 49 probable.A total, there were 443 deaths" in the provinces of North Kivu and Kivu. Ituri, said the ministry.
The DRC, formerly Zaire, has been affected by 10 epidemics of highly contagious haemorrhagic disease since its identification in 1976 near the Ebola River in the north-west of the country.
The last outbreak was declared on 1 August in the Beni region, a major settlement in North Kivu, and quickly spread to the neighboring province of Ituri.
The ministry said 248 people had been cured of the Ebola virus, while "236 suspected cases" were under investigation, down from the previous 15 January bulletin.
The Beni region and parts of Ituri are regularly attacked by local armed groups and foreign rebels, particularly the dreaded Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) of neighboring Uganda.
The presidential election, which was held on December 30, was canceled in Beni, officially due to the Ebola epidemic and regional insecurity.
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