Ebola: A new epidemic cost half of their deaths in October | World | New

Kinshasa An "important epidemic" of Ebola In this month of October, in one of the most important cities in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Beni, 41.6% of the 180 probable deaths were recorded this month. This, according to the latest Government Data.

"75 of the 180 deaths (145 confirmed and 35 probable) reported since the beginning of the epidemic (reported on August 1) were recorded during the month of October, or 41.6%," explained the Ministry of Health. Congolese health in its latest newsletter on the epidemic.

Of these 75 deaths, 78.6% (59) occurred in Beni, where the resistance of some sectors of the population to toilet activity was one of the main problems in the fight against malaria. Ebola.

In addition, nearly half of the 250 confirmed cases, 121, were also reported in October, and 95 (78.5%) were also in Beni.

The Beni people's lack of confidence in the medical teams and the security measures and containment of the epidemic add to the various attacks by armed groups, particularly Ugandan rebels, which took place in September. October and September several deaths and the monitoring activities of contacts and awareness are paralyzed.

In this regard, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Tuesday expressing concern over the Ebola in the DRC and call for the cessation of fighting in the region, to facilitate the fight against the disease.

Since 8 August, the start date of the vaccination campaign, medical teams have vaccinated 25,336 people and 81 people have managed to defeat the disease.

In addition, the Ministry of Health is working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) to report on the progress of the disease before the December 23 elections.

The government "does not expect that the evolution of this epidemic hampers the smooth conduct of electoral operations in the affected areas of the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri".

This is the worst epidemic of Ebola in the DRC during the last ten years and the second declared in 2018, just eight days after the proclamation of the end of the previous epidemic in July by the Minister of Health, Oly Ilunga, in the north-west of the country .

The virus of Ebola it is spread by direct contact with the blood and secretion of the skin and mucous membranes, especially just after death.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most devastating epidemic in the world – which caused 11,300 deaths and more than 28,500 people infected – was reported in March 2014 in Guinea-Conakri.

This nation has expanded exponentially to neighboring countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia, in part through the tradition of washing and kissing the dead at mass funerals.

Source: EFE