Of these 150 cases, 119 have been confirmed and 31 are probable. An additional thirty-one deaths occurred among probable and suspect cases, which would bring the total number of deaths from Ebola to 100 once confirmed. Forty-one people recovered, according to the ministry.
On average, the Ebola virus kills about half of those infected, but case fatality rates in individual households ranged from 25% to 90%.
In a tweet published Monday, Dr. Peter Salama, Deputy Director General of the Organization for Emergency Preparedness and Response, said that a case in Tchioma, a region of Congo bordering Uganda, " raises concerns about its spread. "
Public health teams are also investigating nine suspected cases not included in the 150, the ministry reported.
The Ebola virus, which causes fever, severe headaches and, in some cases, haemorrhages, most commonly affects primates and non-humans, such as monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees. According to the World Health Organization, this is a second epidemic that has occurred in Congo this year. A previous outbreak, which began in May and ended in July, affected a western region of the country where 54 cases of Ebola were recorded, including 33 deaths.
Starting with the discovery of Ebola in 1976 in an area that is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country has experienced 10 outbreaks, including outbreaks this year.
The province of North Kivu is the epicenter of the epidemic, although some cases have also been reported in the neighboring province of Ituri, according to WHO. Together, the two most populous provinces in the country border Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.
According to WHO, the United Nations Public Health Division, the Congo is simultaneously experiencing a long-term humanitarian crisis that includes intermittent armed conflict. As a result, other health epidemics, including cholera, measles and poliomyelitis, and human trafficking, are flourishing there. More than 1 million internally displaced people are in North Kivu and Ituri, according to WHO; the movement of refugees through and out of the provinces is a potential risk factor for the spread of the Ebola virus.
In a second tweet, Salama announced that teams fighting Ebola in the city of Beni had been stuck since Sunday. A violent clash in Beni on Sunday resulted in the death of 18 people, General Radio Commanding General Bernard Commins, a UN General, told Radio Okapi, deputy commander of the UN peacekeeping forces.
Those who are stranded include the teams that distribute the vaccines, those who follow family, friends and others who have come into contact with infected people and those who educate the public by working directly with the community. In its daily report, the Ministry of Health said that "many Beni city residents took to the streets Sunday to protest growing insecurity in the region." The ministry added that activities in the field would resume "as soon as calm returns to the city".
Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, Minister of Health, delivered a statement in a statement released on Monday.
"All the pillars of the response remain fully operational," he wrote. He said that the Beni Ebola treatment center remains open to patients, that vaccinations continue and that free health care is still available in accredited centers, including for victims of violence.
According to WHO, teams of health personnel in areas outside Beni continue to carry out field work, including immunization.
Since August 8, the Ministry inoculates people at high risk of Ebola infection: primary and secondary contacts of people with confirmed Ebola virus infection. Since then, 11,563 people, including medical staff, have been vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health, which runs the immunization program with support from WHO and international partners, including Médecins sans Frontières.
The experimental vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Merck, has been shown to be highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea, according to the WHO.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids or objects contaminated by a person with the disease, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some cases, the virus is transmitted through contact with a person who has died of the disease. The virus enters the body through the skin or mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth. People can also get it through sexual contact.
"Beyond medical intervention, mobilization and community engagement alongside health authorities are the only way to end the Ebola outbreak said Kalenga in a statement.
Jacqueline Howard of CNN contributed to this report.
