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KINSHASA (Reuters) – The chief expert on the Ebola virus at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that he thought an epidemic in Congo could be quickly brought under control and that the number high new cases was due in large part to improved detection. .
The epidemic of haemorrhagic fever in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has reportedly killed 144 people since July and infected 79 others, and the number of new cases has increased dramatically in recent weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that it expected the epidemic to last at least three to four months and could spread to Uganda and Rwanda because of inadequate safety and mistrust. inhabitants to health workers.
But Pierre Rollins, who has been studying the Ebola virus for three decades, said it could potentially be contained within a month or two, as the authorities expand searches for new patient contacts.
"We compared the evolution of this epidemic to other epidemics to see if the increase had been faster and there was no difference," Rollins said at the time. 39, an interview.
"What happened last week was that the Ministry of Health decided (…) to look for cases more actively, because they would see cases unrelated to patients already treated or registered as known contacts. "
He added that the introduction, 10 days ago, of a new program supported by the World Bank to pay people by mobile phone to report cases, encouraged faster notification.
However, attacks on health workers hindered the response and prompted the US government in August to remove CDC and USAID workers from the front lines.
Some who remained on the ground were less optimistic. An emergency committee of WHO experts said on Wednesday that the outbreak was likely to worsen considerably if the response was not strengthened.
Security in eastern Congo is mediocre because of the presence of dozens of militias who attack local populations and exploit natural resources.
Edited by Aaron Ross and Kevin Liffey
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