Democratic Republic of Congo confirms 71 more cases of Ebola
The Democratic Republic of Congo reported this Friday (5) that the number of confirmed cases of Ebola increased to 452, after 71 new diagnoses were confirmed in the last 24 hours. The infections caused 82 deaths.
The information was reported by Reuters and attributed to the government of the African nation.
The Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus is one of the most serious recorded since the disease was discovered and, in addition to Congo, it has also affected Uganda. The situation was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).
To combat the outbreak, the WHO and the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, linked to the African Union, announced this Friday (5) a joint continental response plan.
The plan runs from June to November 2026 and aims to raise US$518 million to help African countries and partners accelerate preparedness, detection and response.
As there are no vaccines or specific treatments for Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the plan outlines measures to increase the resilience of health systems even if countries find themselves in acute health emergencies. The implementation of the measures has already begun in the affected countries and those most at risk.
In addition to the two countries where there are already confirmed cases, South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Congo (Brazzaville) and Burundi are considered to be under greater threat of importing the disease.
*With information from Reuters.
