An Ebola death in a major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo has raised fears the ongoing outbreak could spread even further.
Health officials in the African nation yesterday confirmed the virus was responsible for the death of a woman in Butembo, a city of around 1.4 million.
In response, the World Health Organization's emergency response chief has said 'no-one should be sleeping well tonight around the world'.
Local reports claim the unnamed woman was the mother of a known Ebola patient, who travelled from the town at the centre of the outbreak.
It comes as the death toll from Ebola - responsible for a brutal pandemic in 2014 - in the country has reached 87 people since it began at the start of August.
At least 122 people have been infected with Ebola in the outbreak around the North Kivu region in the north-east of Democratic Republic of the Congo since it was first declared on August 1 – the city of Beni has been the centre of the current outbreak
Experimental drugs have been shipped into the area to control the virus, considered to be one of the most lethal pathogens in existence.
But virologists have repeatedly warned the situation is 'hard to control' because cases are in a conflict zone, roamed by armed militias.
And the World Health Organization admitted the latest death makes ending the outbreak in the east of the country significantly harder.
Butembo's mayor revealed the victim was a woman, who was likely infected as a result of participating in an unsafe burial. She died in a university clinic.
But the DRC's Ministry of Health claims it was a man from a nearby town at the centre of the outbreak, who refused to cooperate with health authorities.
'Ebola case from Beni has died in Butembo DRC,' Peter Salama, the World Health Organization's head of emergency operations, wrote on Twitter.
'Good news is case detected quickly, response already in place and expanding. Bad new(s) is increases risk of further spread.'
He told the HuffPost: 'When you have an Ebola case confirmed in a city with one million people, no one should be sleeping well tonight around the world.'
However, he added that having Ebola in urban centres, such as Butembo, makes ending the ongoing outbreak much harder.
An Ebola patient is led to be treated by medical workers in Beni: Since the outbreak began some 4,296 people are thought to have come into contact with people who had the virus and 16 medical workers have been infected
Most of the Ebola 127 cases recorded so far have been in Beni, a city of 230,000 people with close links to bordering Uganda.
Butembo, about 35 miles (55km) away, is around triple the size of Beni and is a major trading route for consumer goods entering the DRC.
There are two other suspected cases of the Ebola in the city but these have not yet been confirmed, according to local reports.
Only 96 of the cases in North Kivu province have been confirmed. The rest remain probable due to the Ebola-like symptoms.
But it has since spread to Oicha, an area almost entirely surrounded by militants, which stoked the fears of Dr Tedros Adhanom, chief of the WHO.
Dr Tedros Adhanom told Reuters last week: 'If one case is hidden in the red zone or an inaccessible area, it's dangerous. It can just spark a fire, just one case.'
An agency that responds to humanitarian crises last week feared the outbreak would trump the pandemic four years ago, which killed 11,000 and decimated West Africa.
The International Rescue Committee said: 'Without a swift, concerted and efficient response, this outbreak has the potential to be the worst ever seen.'
Ebola virus disease, caused by the virus with its namesake, kills around 50 per cent of people it strikes – but there is no proven treatment available.
Some 82 people have died in the most recent Ebola outbreak taking place in the North Kivu province in the north-east of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Pictured: Health workers carry the body of a suspected victim last Wednesday, August 22, in Mangina, a town near Beni
The unsafe burial of a 65-year-old Ebola sufferer triggered the latest outbreak in the DRC, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
After she was buried members of her family began to display symptoms of the virus 'and seven of them died'.
Genetic analysis has confirmed the virus is the Zaire strain, the same as the one behind an outbreak in the west of the DRC earlier this summer.
However, Peter Salama, WHO deputy director for emergency preparedness and response, last month revealed it is genetically different.
The 2014 international response to the Ebola pandemic, which decimated West Africa, drew criticism for moving too slowly and prompted an apology from the WHO.
But international aid teams have moved much quicker in response this time - with vaccination campaigns already underway in several regions.
Link article
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/06/congo-records-first-ebola-death-in-major-eastern-trade-hub/
Main photo article An Ebola death in a major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo has raised fears the ongoing outbreak could spread even further.
Health officials in the African nation yesterday confirmed the virus was responsible for the death of a woman in Butembo, a city of around 1.4 million.
In response,...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Health HienaLouca
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