The number of infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the deadly Ebola virus continues to increase. Congolese authorities have on X announced that 904 suspected infections have now been identified in the provinces of Ituri and North and South Kivu. That is almost one hundred and fifty more than the day before. DRC suspects that 170 people have died from the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) already spoke of an ‘international emergency’ last week, although the risk of an international outbreak remains low, according to the WHO. However, the number of infections also continues to increase in Uganda. On Saturday, authorities there announced that three confirmed cases had been detected.
The African Union Health Service believes that ten countries other than Congo and Uganda are at risk of infections. The director said to the French news site France24 that South Sudan, Zambia and Angola, among others, are at risk.
Arson at medical centers
The humanitarian situation in Eastern Congo has been deteriorating for years, partly due to violence by rebel groups. Citizens’ trust in the authorities is low.
There is also a lot of unrest surrounding the fight against the Ebola virus. On Thursday and Friday, angry residents set fire to specially equipped medical treatment tents, the AP reports. Family members would not have been allowed to collect the body of a deceased man.
The health system in Eastern Congo is also under serious pressure. The health system is dependent on funds, mainly from Western countries, but due to cuts in USAID, among other things, much international emergency aid has been lost. According to experts, this has also made combating the Ebola virus more difficult.
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