Aditya DidwaniyaHealth workers are now monitoring potential Ebola cases in two previously unaffected provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo Tshopo and Upper Uele after infected contacts fled quarantine zones, raising fears of wider spread.
Health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are tracking Ebola across two new provinces. These provinces Tshopo and Upper Uele had not been hit by the outbreak before. Reuters reported this, citing a DRC health ministry report and a senior official’s statement.
Officials said health workers in Tshopo province are watching people who may have touched the body of a pregnant woman. She died from Ebola in the Niania health zone of Ituri province. The situation got more serious when two people from Niania escaped.
“Two individuals identified as Ebola contacts in Niania, who had been placed in isolation for testing, fled to Upper Uele province,” the agency reported.
One of the two escapees later tested positive for Ebola. Both individuals were tracked down and are now being returned to Niania. Health teams are actively hunting for everyone they may have contacted during their time on the run.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a public health emergency. WHO also rated the regional risk of further spread as high. The latest figures show 377 people have died from the outbreak. Confirmed cases have now reached 1,307.
The situation in both DRC and Uganda continues to alarm international health authorities. The Ebola virus remains one of the deadliest pathogens in the world. Every new province affected adds to the challenge for overwhelmed health teams.
Mayur Mohta
Akshay Didwaniya
Pratik Agrawal