Ebola in DR Congo: case confirmed in Goma

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed the first case of Ebola in the eastern city of Goma, home to more than one million people.

The Ministry of Health confirmed that a pastor had tested positive for the virus in a Goma center after arriving there by bus on Sunday.

The ministry says the risk of spreading the disease is low.

More than 1,600 people have died since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC a year ago.

The pastor traveled 200 km (125 miles) to Goma by bus from Butembo, where he had been with people with Ebola virus disease.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement: "Due to the speed with which the patient has been identified and isolated, as well as the identification of all pbadengers from Butembo, the risk of spreading in the rest of the city of Goma remains weak. "

The bus driver and 18 other pbadengers would be vaccinated Monday.

The Goma Ministry of Health is prepared for an epidemic. Last November, he launched preparedness and response activities. Three thousand health workers in the city have already been vaccinated.

The largest Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa in 2014-2016 and reached 28,616 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. About 11,310 people died.

Ebola infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, bats and forest antelopes.

It can then spread quickly, through contact with even small amounts of body fluid from infected people – or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.

What is Ebola?

• Ebola is a virus that initially causes sudden fever, severe weakness, muscle aches and sore throat
• It turns into vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding
• People are infected when they are in direct contact with the blood, vomit, stool or body fluids of a person with Ebola through broken skin, or from the skin. mouth or nose.
• Patients tend to die from dehydration and multiple organ failure