The suspected number of Ebola infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to more than 900, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on Sunday.
According to the WHO, 101 Ebola infections have now been confirmed with certainty in the DRC, where the virus broke out. Congo’s Ministry of Health previously reported that the death toll from the Ebola outbreak had risen to 204.
New infections have also been identified in neighboring Uganda. The number of confirmed cases there is five. One patient in Uganda has died.
Violent incidents
Bodies of deceased Ebola patients are highly contagious. For this reason, funerals in the Congolese province of Ituri, the epicenter of the outbreak, may only be carried out by specialized teams. This angers family members who sometimes try to claim their bodies by force. Tedros previously called the situation in the DRC ‘very worrying’.
On Saturday, a group of Mongbwalu residents attacked and set fire to a tent set up by Doctors Without Borders for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases. During the attack, eighteen people with suspected Ebola infections left the facility and have been missing since.
On Thursday, another treatment center, in the town of Rwampara, was set on fire after family members were denied access to the body of their loved one, who was suspected to have died of Ebola.
Emergency
According to the WHO chief, these types of incidents are a major obstacle to the fight against Ebola in the region. The outbreak in the DRC and Uganda was therefore declared an international public health emergency by the WHO last week. According to the African health agency Africa CDC, ten other countries are at risk, partly due to the many movements of people and insecurity in the region.
The Red Cross said three Congolese volunteers have died in Ituri province after suspected Ebola during humanitarian work.
