Ebola outbreak in northwest city of Mbandaka, 4 dead: DR Congo Health Ministry

DR Congo’s Health Ministry has confirmed a fresh Ebola outbreak in the country after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced last month that the last person who was being treated for the infectious disease recovered and was discharged on May 14. During a press briefing, Health Minister Eteni Longondo reportedly said that four people have already died in the northwestern city of Mbandaka.

DRC is already struggling to contain the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with more than 3,100 confirmed cases and the fresh Ebola outbreak could overwhelm the resources. However, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the African nation is in the final phase of battling Ebola in eastern DRC, COVID-19, and the world’s largest measles outbreak.

Taking to Twitter, Dr Ghebreyesus said that the staff of the UN health agency is responding to the new Ebola outbreak in Mbandaka. The WHO chief said that the fresh outbreak should serve as a reminder that there are other health threats than COVID-19 and the UN agency continue to respond to health emergencies.

Read: Congo Marks Somber Easter While Battling COVID-19 And Ebola

Still health emergency

On May 14, DRC Health Ministry had announced the beginning of the 42-day countdown to the end of the Ebola outbreak and Dr Ghebreyesus had warned that new cases could still emerge as seen before. In April, WHO said that the Ebola outbreak in DRC continues to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for Ebola in the DRC had advised Ghebreyesus to consider “flare-ups” in the Ebola infections in the area. 

Read: Congo Reports New Ebola Case Days Before It Planned To Declare Outbreak's End

(Image credit: AP)