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Key Takeaways✦ Atlas AI
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An Ebola outbreak has been declared in Ituri province, DR Congo, resulting in 65 deaths among 246 reported cases.
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The Africa CDC is coordinating with neighboring countries like Uganda and South Sudan to manage the outbreak and prevent cross-border spread.
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This outbreak highlights the persistent threat of Ebola in the region, with no cure available and a history of severe mortality in DR Congo.
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New outbreak of Ebola kills 65 in eastern DR Congo Just now Share Save Add as preferred on Google via Getty Images Nearly 2,300 people died between 2018 and 2020 in DR Congo's deadliest outbreak Africa's top health agency has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province. Around 246 cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in the areas of Mongwalu and Rwampara, said the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa).
Four of the deaths were reported among lab-confirmed cases, it added. Its statement on Friday also said it was convening a meeting with DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and other international partners to discuss response efforts and cross-border surveillance. Ebola is a deadly viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.
Preliminary tests conducted at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in the capital, Kinshasa, have detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples analysed, following consultations with DR Congo's Ministry of Health and National Public Institute. Additional suspected cases have also been reported in Ituri's provincial capital, Bunia, with laboratory confirmation pending. First identified in 1976 in what is now DR Congo, Ebola is thought to have passed to humans from bats.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat. There is no cure for Ebola. Around 50,000 people have died from the virus in different African countries over the past 50 years. DR Congo's deadliest outbreak was between 2018 and 2020, during which nearly 2,300 people died. Last year, 15 people died in the country, in what was its 16th outbreak. com for more news from the African continent.
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