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Conflicts between militant groups and government forces have made it difficult for health workers to access the hardest hit areas.
On Friday night, an armed group attempted to attack peacekeepers in the city of Beni, in North Kivu province – the epicenter of the epidemic.
The peacekeepers managed to repel the attackers after several hours of clashes, but all field activities were suspended in Beni on Saturday because of the violence. The emergency operations center remained closed and the teams had to stay in their hotels.
Earlier in the week, at least seven peacekeepers were killed and 10 others wounded in a coordinated military attack on rebel forces, the UN Stabilization Mission announced. in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The deadly violence in the Congolese province of North Kivu has hindered efforts to eradicate the Ebola virus, said the country's Minister of Public Health, Oly Ilunga Kalenga.
Infants among the dead
The epidemic – the second of this year – began in the province of North Kivu before spreading to the province of Ituri in the east of the country. This is the tenth time since 1976 that the Ebola virus has hit the Congo.
To date, 311 cases of Ebola infection have been confirmed and 47 are probable. Of the deaths, 166 have been confirmed as having been caused by Ebola and 47 are probable, according to the country's Ministry of Health.
Among the victims of the epidemic include pregnant and lactating women, newborns and infants, reported the World Health Organization. More than 30 health workers have also been infected, according to the WHO.
Fear of spread
Congo shares borders with nine countries and the United Nations is concerned that the Ebola outbreak is also spreading to southern Sudan due to the influx of Congolese refugees.
Kalenga, the health minister, posted a video on the Ministry of Health Facebook page on Saturday morning, urging communities to be vigilant and report any signs of illness.
"Community monitoring is at the heart of the new Ebola strategy, and every citizen at his level can protect his family and neighborhood against the virus by alerting emergency teams of any alerts and suspicious cases. #beni neighborhoods are working alongside us in response, "he wrote.
The virus
The Ebola virus first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and Congo and takes its name from a river of the latter country. It is one of the most virulent diseases in the world. It is spread by direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people.
Ebola causes fever, severe headaches and, in some cases, bleeding. It is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids or objects contaminated by a person with the disease. In some cases, the virus is spread through contact with someone who has died from the disease.
The virus enters the body through the broken skin or mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth. It can also be transmitted through sexual contact.
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