Infections: campaign against malaria in Congo

infections

BLESSED. In addition to the Ebola outbreak, eastern Congo is currently experiencing a severe wave of malaria. To relieve overburdened health facilities in the Ebola region, the authorities are conducting a massive campaign to fight malaria.

Nearly 450,000 people in North Kivu province are expected to receive preventative medicines for malaria and insecticide-treated mosquito nets, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

"The malaria epidemic in North Kivu has overwhelmed aid to the Ebola virus," said WHO. In September, the number of infections was multiplied by eight to reach about 2,000 cases per week compared with the previous year.

About half of the patients suspected of having Ebola in health centers suffer from malaria. Ebola and malaria can initially lead to symptoms similar to high fever and vomiting.

The campaign against malaria is being implemented by the Congolese authorities, with the support of, inter alia, WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef. Congo is the country most affected by malaria, with millions of infections and thousands of deaths a year, behind Nigeria.

The Ebola outbreak around the city of Beni is the tenth and most serious epidemic in Central African Congo. According to the authorities, 421 people have been infected with the Ebola virus since August and 241 people have died as a result of the disease. (AP)

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