The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday&nbsp;raised alarm against a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and warned of an imminent shortage of funds to fight the deadly disease.

56 cases have been reported in Equator province, which is greater than the total number of cases recorded in the province's last outbreak in 2018 according to the organisation.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/congo-reports-fresh-ebola-outbreak-three-weeks-before-plans-to-proclaim-the-country-disease-free-302415">Congo reports fresh Ebola outbreak three weeks before plans to proclaim the country disease-free</a>

According to Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, ''Efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have complicated the response to the Ebola outbreak.''

"We must not let Covid-19 distract us from tackling other pressing health threats. The current Ebola outbreak is running into headwinds because cases are scattered across remote areas in dense rainforests," Moeti said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fresh-ebola-outbreak-in-congo-kills-5-people-says-unicef-302613">Fresh Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 5 people, says UNICEF</a>

$1.75 million&nbsp;has been mobilised to combat the Ebola outbreak by the WHO on June 1, but that will only last a few more weeks.

Additional funding to help with vaccinations, testing, contact tracing, treatment and health education. For this Moeti has called for help.

Another Ebola outbreak in the east of the country was declared over June 25 after two years. 2,280 people had died in the previous outbreak.

Executive director of the WHO's emergency health programme, Michael Ryan, who has worked extensively on Ebola, said Monday that as of Sunday there were 17 deaths from confirmed Ebola cases and three more from suspected cases.

''While the numbers may appear low, the threat of spread is worrisome, especially because of the extreme logistical problems for health care workers to access remote, affected communities'' said Ryan.

"Any one of those individual cases can result in amplification of the disease," he added.

Over 12,000 people have been vaccinated in Equator in the six weeks since the outbreak started, beginning four days after the outbreak was declared according to Moeti.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday raised alarm against a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and warned of an imminent shortage of funds to fight the deadly disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday raised alarm against a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and warned of an imminent shortage of funds to fight the deadly disease. 56 cases have been reported in Equator province, which is greater than the total number of cases recorded in the province's last outbreak in 2018 according to the organisation. Also read: Congo reports fresh Ebola outbreak three weeks before plans to proclaim the country disease-free According to Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, ''Efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have complicated the response to the Ebola outbreak.'' "We must not let Covid-19 distract us from tackling other pressing health threats. The current Ebola outbreak is running into headwinds because cases are scattered across remote areas in dense rainforests," Moeti said. Also read: Fresh Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 5 people, says UNICEF $1.75 million has been mobilised to combat the Ebola outbreak by the WHO on June 1, but that will only last a few more weeks. Additional funding to help with vaccinations, testing, contact tracing, treatment and health education. For this Moeti has called for help. Another Ebola outbreak in the east of the country was declared over June 25 after two years. 2,280 people had died in the previous outbreak. Executive director of the WHO's emergency health programme, Michael Ryan, who has worked extensively on Ebola, said Monday that as of Sunday there were 17 deaths from confirmed Ebola cases and three more from suspected cases. ''While the numbers may appear low, the threat of spread is worrisome, especially because of the extreme logistical problems for health care workers to access remote, affected communities'' said Ryan. "Any one of those individual cases can result in amplification of the disease," he added. Over 12,000 people have been vaccinated in Equator in the six weeks since the outbreak started, beginning four days after the outbreak was declared according to Moeti.

WHO raises alarm and asks for help fighting growing Ebola outbreak

The latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic&nbsp;Republic of Congo has claimed five lives according the&nbsp;the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

"Four additional people who contracted the virus, all contacts of the deceased and including the child of one of the fatal cases, are being treated in an isolation unit at the Wangata Hospital in Mbandaka,"&nbsp;UNICEF said&nbsp;in a statement.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/congo-reports-fresh-ebola-outbreak-three-weeks-before-plans-to-proclaim-the-country-disease-free-302415">Congo reports fresh Ebola outbreak three weeks before plans to proclaim the country disease-free</a>

<ul data-layout="list-hierarchical-xs">
</ul>

"The deaths occurred between the 18th and 30th of May but they were only confirmed as Ebola-related yesterday."

Previously, the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus&nbsp;tweeted&nbsp;news that six cases had been reported in Mbandaka, in the country's northwest Equateur province.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ebola?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ebola</a> outbreak detected in western <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DRC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DRC</a>, near Mbandaka, Équateur province. <a href="https://twitter.com/MinSanteRDC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MinSanteRDC</a> has identified 6 cases, of which 4 people have died. The country is also in final phase of battling Ebola in eastern DRC, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> &amp; the world’s largest measles outbreak.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1267446244793888769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Mbandaka is the capital of Congo’s Equateur province, which serves as a transport hub alongside the Congo river and houses over a million people.&nbsp;Ebola had hit the same province in the summer months of May and July in 2018, which claimed the lives of 33 people.

Since surfacing, the Ebola epidemic has killed 2,280 people in the country’s eastern region. The government was planning to announce the country Ebola free on June 25, but with new cases resurfacing, the country has to continue fighting it.&nbsp;A similar situation had&nbsp;come up in April this year when the country was three days away from declaring itself free of Ebola.

It's the country's 11th outbreak of the potentially deadly virus, which is passed by bodily fluids and has a fatality rate of anywhere between 25 per cent&nbsp;and 90 per cent, depending on the outbreak.&nbsp;

The latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed five lives according the the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). "Four additional people who contracted the virus, all contacts of the deceased and including the child of one of the fatal cases, are being treated in an isolation unit at the Wangata Hospital in Mbandaka," UNICEF said in a statement.

The latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed five lives according the the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). "Four additional people who contracted the virus, all contacts of the deceased and including the child of one of the fatal cases, are being treated in an isolation unit at the Wangata Hospital in Mbandaka," UNICEF said in a statement. Also read: Congo reports fresh Ebola outbreak three weeks before plans to proclaim the country disease-free "The deaths occurred between the 18th and 30th of May but they were only confirmed as Ebola-related yesterday." Previously, the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted news that six cases had been reported in Mbandaka, in the country's northwest Equateur province. A new #Ebola outbreak detected in western #DRC, near Mbandaka, Équateur province. @MinSanteRDC has identified 6 cases, of which 4 people have died. The country is also in final phase of battling Ebola in eastern DRC, #COVID19 & the world’s largest measles outbreak. — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 1, 2020 × Mbandaka is the capital of Congo’s Equateur province, which serves as a transport hub alongside the Congo river and houses over a million people. Ebola had hit the same province in the summer months of May and July in 2018, which claimed the lives of 33 people. Since surfacing, the Ebola epidemic has killed 2,280 people in the country’s eastern region. The government was planning to announce the country Ebola free on June 25, but with new cases resurfacing, the country has to continue fighting it. A similar situation had come up in April this year when the country was three days away from declaring itself free of Ebola. It's the country's 11th outbreak of the potentially deadly virus, which is passed by bodily fluids and has a fatality rate of anywhere between 25 per cent and 90 per cent, depending on the outbreak.

Fresh Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 5 people, says UNICEF

The death toll from Democratic Republic of Congo`s year-long <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/timeline-how-a-congo-ebola-outbreak-became-a-global-concern-236967&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiJi_iRkarkAhXLs48KHeXtDooQFjAAegQIAhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2fdZ9bF7hRfbw8-SoX869o">Ebola outbreak</a> has climbed above 2,000, government data showed on Friday, as responders battle to overcome community mistrust and widespread security problems.

The government team overseeing the response said the number of confirmed and probable cases had also hit a milestone of more than 3,000 in what has become the second-worst epidemic of the virus on record.

Despite the development of an effective vaccine and treatments, health workers have struggled to control the spread of the disease in remote and conflict-hit areas of eastern Congo, where many locals are wary of the response effort.

"For the treatments to work, people need to trust them and the medical staff who administer them. This will take time, resources and a lot of hard work," the International Federation of the Red Cross said in a statement.

This is Congo`s 10th Ebola outbreak, but it is the first in the densely forested hillside provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where militia-led violence and ethnic killing have undermined security in certain areas for decades.

The government data showed Ebola deaths reaching 2,006 and cases at 3,004.

Earlier in August, the authorities came up against new fronts in their fight to contain the epidemic, fanning fears that the spread of the disease could accelerate.

Health workers confirmed the first cases in South Kivu province on August&nbsp;16. Soon after, a woman contracted the virus in a remote, militia-controlled territory in North Kivu, hundreds of kilometres away from other known cases.

"We are fighting literally (along) with all partners on the ground to reach people, to reach contacts, to identify cases as early as possible," World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday.

Last week the WHO voiced concern about the widening geographic reach of the disease but confirmed the virus had not gained a foothold in the major city of Goma, even after four cases were recorded there in July and early August.

"Two thousand deaths means that there is a problem," said Timothée Buliga, a Goma resident. "We need to reach the point where we reject Ebola, say no and eradicate it definitively."

Neighbouring Uganda said on Friday that a young girl who tested positive for Ebola after crossing the border, the fourth case imported from Congo since June, would be sent back to Congo for treatment.

Only the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been deadlier than the current outbreak. More than 11,300 people died then out of 28,000 who were infected. 
&nbsp;

The death toll from Democratic Republic of Congo`s year-long Ebola outbreak has climbed above 2,000, government data showed on Friday, as responders battle to overcome community mistrust and widespread security problems.

The death toll from Democratic Republic of Congo`s year-long Ebola outbreak has climbed above 2,000, government data showed on Friday, as responders battle to overcome community mistrust and widespread security problems. The government team overseeing the response said the number of confirmed and probable cases had also hit a milestone of more than 3,000 in what has become the second-worst epidemic of the virus on record. Despite the development of an effective vaccine and treatments, health workers have struggled to control the spread of the disease in remote and conflict-hit areas of eastern Congo, where many locals are wary of the response effort. "For the treatments to work, people need to trust them and the medical staff who administer them. This will take time, resources and a lot of hard work," the International Federation of the Red Cross said in a statement. This is Congo`s 10th Ebola outbreak, but it is the first in the densely forested hillside provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where militia-led violence and ethnic killing have undermined security in certain areas for decades. The government data showed Ebola deaths reaching 2,006 and cases at 3,004. Earlier in August, the authorities came up against new fronts in their fight to contain the epidemic, fanning fears that the spread of the disease could accelerate. Health workers confirmed the first cases in South Kivu province on August 16. Soon after, a woman contracted the virus in a remote, militia-controlled territory in North Kivu, hundreds of kilometres away from other known cases. "We are fighting literally (along) with all partners on the ground to reach people, to reach contacts, to identify cases as early as possible," World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday. Last week the WHO voiced concern about the widening geographic reach of the disease but confirmed the virus had not gained a foothold in the major city of Goma, even after four cases were recorded there in July and early August. "Two thousand deaths means that there is a problem," said Timothée Buliga, a Goma resident. "We need to reach the point where we reject Ebola, say no and eradicate it definitively." Neighbouring Uganda said on Friday that a young girl who tested positive for Ebola after crossing the border, the fourth case imported from Congo since June, would be sent back to Congo for treatment. Only the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa has been deadlier than the current outbreak. More than 11,300 people died then out of 28,000 who were infected.

Ebola death toll in east Congo outbreak climbs above 2,000

World Health Organization officials give an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo via videolink. Watch the full video to know more.

W.H.O issues Ebola outbreak warning

Democratic Republic Of Congo in Africa has detected its third Ebola case in less than a month. Watch the full video to know more. #EbolaOutbreak #DRCongoPatient

Third Ebola case detected in DR Congo

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a "public health emergency of international concern", saying the recent risk of its spread in the city of Goma and into Uganda had increased the threat.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had accepted the recommendations of a committee of international experts which stressed there should be no restrictions on travel or trade, and no entry screening of passengers at ports or airports outside the immediate region.

The committee said there were worrying signs of possible extension of the epidemic and that the recent case in Goma was a cause for concern.

But it also maintained that although the risk was very high at national and regional level it was not a global threat.

The WHO has warned that the nearby countries of Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Uganda are the most at risk, while Central African Republic, Angola, Tanzania, Republic of Congo and Zambia are in a second tier.

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a "public health emergency of international concern", saying the recent risk of its spread in the city of Goma and into Uganda had increased the threat.

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a "public health emergency of international concern", saying the recent risk of its spread in the city of Goma and into Uganda had increased the threat. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had accepted the recommendations of a committee of international experts which stressed there should be no restrictions on travel or trade, and no entry screening of passengers at ports or airports outside the immediate region. The committee said there were worrying signs of possible extension of the epidemic and that the recent case in Goma was a cause for concern. But it also maintained that although the risk was very high at national and regional level it was not a global threat. The WHO has warned that the nearby countries of Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and Uganda are the most at risk, while Central African Republic, Angola, Tanzania, Republic of Congo and Zambia are in a second tier.

WHO declares Ebola outbreak is international health emergency, but not global threat

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Congo's Ebola outbreak an international health emergency. Watch full video to know more.

Ebola outbreak in Congo declared as international health emergency

The World Health Organization said on Friday (May 3) it feared continued "intense transmission" of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where deaths from a nine-month-old epidemic stood at 994 and were expected to exceed 1,000 within hours.

Congo Ebola death toll nears 1,000, expected to spread: WHO

The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to more than 200, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry said it had recorded 201 deaths from the virus and that 291 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in August.

About half of the cases were in Beni, a city of 800,000 people, in the North Kivu region.&nbsp;

The UN's Department of Peacekeeping on Friday called on armed groups active in the region not to hinder efforts to fight the disease.

Teams responsible for responding to the outbreak "have faced threats, physical assaults, repeated destruction of their equipment and kidnapping," Health Minister Oly Ilunga said on Friday.

"Two of our colleagues in the Rapid Response Medical Unit have even lost their lives in an attack," he said.

The outbreak is the tenth in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976.

Ebola is a serious infectious disease that can spread rapidly through small amounts of bodily fluid, causing internal bleeding and potentially death.

Since a vaccination programme began on August 8, more than 25,000 people have been innoculated, the health ministry said earlier this month.

The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to more than 200, the health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said it had recorded 201 deaths from the virus and that 291 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in August.

The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to more than 200, the health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said it had recorded 201 deaths from the virus and that 291 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in August. About half of the cases were in Beni, a city of 800,000 people, in the North Kivu region. The UN's Department of Peacekeeping on Friday called on armed groups active in the region not to hinder efforts to fight the disease. Teams responsible for responding to the outbreak "have faced threats, physical assaults, repeated destruction of their equipment and kidnapping," Health Minister Oly Ilunga said on Friday. "Two of our colleagues in the Rapid Response Medical Unit have even lost their lives in an attack," he said. The outbreak is the tenth in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976. Ebola is a serious infectious disease that can spread rapidly through small amounts of bodily fluid, causing internal bleeding and potentially death. Since a vaccination programme began on August 8, more than 25,000 people have been innoculated, the health ministry said earlier this month.

Death toll tops 200 in DR Congo Ebola outbreak

The health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday announced that tests had confirmed a 13th death was caused by the Ebola virus, in an ongoing outbreak that has killed at least 27 suspected patients.

A total of 58 cases had been reported as of Tuesday, of which 37 were confirmed, 14 probable and seven suspected, in the three western rural areas worst affected by the outbreak: Bikoro and Iboko and the city of Mbandaka.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch urged the Congolese government to "limit the use of quarantines, make protection of health workers and women a priority and ensure effective oversight and monitoring."

A vaccination campaign for over 1,300 people has been carried out over the past three weeks in the affected areas by the Congolese health ministry, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other health aid groups.

The VSV-EBOV vaccine was being used for immunization, an experimental treatment that was tested in Guinea after the 2014-2016 epidemic and was developed by the United States pharmaceutical company Merck.

Ebola can reach a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, and is widely feared for its destructive internal and external bleeding, as the virus causes severe damage to blood vessels.

The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or animals.

In a report issued Tuesday, the World Health Organization detailed its vaccination strategy, saying: "The targets for vaccination are front-line health professionals, people who have been exposed to confirmed EVD (Ebola) cases and contacts of these contacts."

Early symptoms include a sudden high fever, intense weakness and muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting.

This was the ninth Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first discovered there in 1976, when the African country was still called Zaire.

The worst Ebola epidemic to date ravaged several West African nations in 2014, after it broke out in Dec. 2013 in Guinea and expanded into Sierra Leone and Liberia, with minor outbreaks occurring elsewhere.

Ebola can reach a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, and is widely feared for its destructive internal and external bleeding.

The health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday announced that tests had confirmed a 13th death was caused by the Ebola virus, in an ongoing outbreak that has killed at least 27 suspected patients. A total of 58 cases had been reported as of Tuesday, of which 37 were confirmed, 14 probable and seven suspected, in the three western rural areas worst affected by the outbreak: Bikoro and Iboko and the city of Mbandaka. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch urged the Congolese government to "limit the use of quarantines, make protection of health workers and women a priority and ensure effective oversight and monitoring." A vaccination campaign for over 1,300 people has been carried out over the past three weeks in the affected areas by the Congolese health ministry, the World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other health aid groups. The VSV-EBOV vaccine was being used for immunization, an experimental treatment that was tested in Guinea after the 2014-2016 epidemic and was developed by the United States pharmaceutical company Merck. Ebola can reach a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent, and is widely feared for its destructive internal and external bleeding, as the virus causes severe damage to blood vessels. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected persons or animals. In a report issued Tuesday, the World Health Organization detailed its vaccination strategy, saying: "The targets for vaccination are front-line health professionals, people who have been exposed to confirmed EVD (Ebola) cases and contacts of these contacts." Early symptoms include a sudden high fever, intense weakness and muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting. This was the ninth Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the virus was first discovered there in 1976, when the African country was still called Zaire. The worst Ebola epidemic to date ravaged several West African nations in 2014, after it broke out in Dec. 2013 in Guinea and expanded into Sierra Leone and Liberia, with minor outbreaks occurring elsewhere.

13th confirmed Ebola death in latest DR Congo outbreak, 27 suspected in total

Democratic Republic of Congo faces a "very high" public health risk from Ebola because the disease has been confirmed in a patient in a big city, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, raising its assessment from "high" previously.

The risk to countries in the region was now "high", raised from "moderate", but the global risk remained "low", the WHO said.

The reassessment came after the first confirmed case in Mbandaka, a city of around 1.5 million in the northwest. Previous reports of the disease had all been in remote areas where Ebola might spread be more easily contained.

"The confirmed case in Mbandaka, a large urban centre located on major national and international river, road and domestic air routes, increases the risk of spread within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to neighbouring countries," the WHO said.

WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response Peter Salama had told reporters on Thursday that the risk assessment was being reviewed.

"We're certainly not trying to cause any panic in the national or international community," he said.

"What we're saying though is that urban Ebola is very different phenomenon to rural Ebola because we know that people in urban areas can have far more contacts so that means that urban Ebola can result in an exponential increase in cases in a way that rural Ebola struggles to do."

Later on Friday, the WHO will convene an Emergency Committee of experts to advise on the international response to the outbreak, and decide whether it constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern".

The nightmare scenario is an outbreak in Kinshasa, a crowded city where millions live in unsanitary slums not connected to a sewer system.

Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease expert and director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity, said the outbreak had "all the features of something that could turn really nasty".

"As more evidence comes in of the separation of cases in space and time, and healthcare workers getting infected, and people attending funerals and then travelling quite big distances - it's got everything we would worry about," he told Reuters.

The WHO statement said there had been 21 suspected, 20 probable and 3 confirmed cases of Ebola between April 4 and May 15, a total of 44 cases, including 15 deaths. Mbandaka had three suspected cases in addition to the confirmed case.

The WHO is sending 7,540 doses of an experimental vaccine to try to stop the outbreak in its tracks, and 4,300 doses have already arrived in Kinshasa. It will be used to protect healthworkers and "rings" of contacts around each case.

The vaccine supplies will be enough to vaccinate 50 rings of 150 people, the WHO said. As of 15 May, 527 contacts had been identified and were being followed up and monitored.

The risk to countries in the region was now 'high', raised from 'moderate'

Democratic Republic of Congo faces a "very high" public health risk from Ebola because the disease has been confirmed in a patient in a big city, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, raising its assessment from "high" previously. The risk to countries in the region was now "high", raised from "moderate", but the global risk remained "low", the WHO said. The reassessment came after the first confirmed case in Mbandaka, a city of around 1.5 million in the northwest. Previous reports of the disease had all been in remote areas where Ebola might spread be more easily contained. "The confirmed case in Mbandaka, a large urban centre located on major national and international river, road and domestic air routes, increases the risk of spread within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to neighbouring countries," the WHO said. WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response Peter Salama had told reporters on Thursday that the risk assessment was being reviewed. "We're certainly not trying to cause any panic in the national or international community," he said. "What we're saying though is that urban Ebola is very different phenomenon to rural Ebola because we know that people in urban areas can have far more contacts so that means that urban Ebola can result in an exponential increase in cases in a way that rural Ebola struggles to do." Later on Friday, the WHO will convene an Emergency Committee of experts to advise on the international response to the outbreak, and decide whether it constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern". The nightmare scenario is an outbreak in Kinshasa, a crowded city where millions live in unsanitary slums not connected to a sewer system. Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease expert and director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity, said the outbreak had "all the features of something that could turn really nasty". "As more evidence comes in of the separation of cases in space and time, and healthcare workers getting infected, and people attending funerals and then travelling quite big distances - it's got everything we would worry about," he told Reuters. The WHO statement said there had been 21 suspected, 20 probable and 3 confirmed cases of Ebola between April 4 and May 15, a total of 44 cases, including 15 deaths. Mbandaka had three suspected cases in addition to the confirmed case. The WHO is sending 7,540 doses of an experimental vaccine to try to stop the outbreak in its tracks, and 4,300 doses have already arrived in Kinshasa. It will be used to protect healthworkers and "rings" of contacts around each case. The vaccine supplies will be enough to vaccinate 50 rings of 150 people, the WHO said. As of 15 May, 527 contacts had been identified and were being followed up and monitored.

Congo faces 'very high' risk from Ebola outbreak: WHO

The Democratic Republic of&nbspCongo&nbspand UN agencies began deploying emergency teams of specialists over the weekend to try to prevent the spread of an Ebola epidemic suspected to have infected more than 30 people, they said on Sunday.

The latest suspected case was reported on Friday in the northwestern province of Equateur, which health minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga visited on Saturday with officials from the WHO and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“We have to pool our efforts quickly and align ourselves with the government response plan to fight this new epidemic effectively,” Kalenga was quoted as saying in a joint statement following their visit to the state capital.

Congo&nbspfirst reported the outbreak, centred around the village of Ikoko Impenge, near the town of Bikoro, on Tuesday, with 32 suspected, probable or confirmed cases of the disease, including 18 deaths since April 4. Some deaths occurring as early as January have not yet been linked to the epidemic.

A person in the Democratic Republic of Congo who died of a hemorrhagic fever has tested positive for the Ebola virus,&nbspsignaling the start of a new outbreak, the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The case was confirmed from tests on nine people who came down with a hemorrhagic fever in Bas-Uele province in the north of the country on or after April 22, a ministry statement said. Three people have died of fever.

Officials are racing to prevent the virus from spreading out of control, as happened in West Africa from 2014-2016, when Ebola killed more than 11,300 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The WHO was criticised for bungling its response to that epidemic and has moved quickly.

Congo&nbsphad suffered eight Ebola epidemics previously, but owing to remote geography and poor transport links they have tended to fizzle out rather than spread to become a national crisis.

But this epidemic’s proximity to the&nbspCongo&nbspRiver, a major transport route and lifeline both to&nbspCongo‘s capital Kinshasa and to neighbouring&nbspCongo&nbspRepublic’s capital Brazzaville, makes it more likely that the virus could break out into a wider area.

The disease&nbsp–&nbspmost feared for the internal and external bleeding it can cause in its victims owing to damage done to blood vessels&nbsp–&nbsphas already spread to three separate locations covering 60 km or more in Equateur province.

The WHO said on Friday it hopes to deploy an experimental Ebola vaccine to tackle an outbreak.

The WHO's Congo spokesman Eugene Kabambi told Reuters: "It is in a very remote zone, very forested, so we are a little lucky. We always take this very seriously."

The last outbreak of Ebola in Congo was in 2014 and killed 42 people.

Ebola killed more than 11,300 people and infected some 28,600 from 2013, as it swept through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and caused alarm around the world.

Congo first reported the outbreak, centred around the village of Ikoko Impenge, near the town of Bikoro, on Tuesday, with 32 suspected, probable or confirmed cases of the disease, including 18 deaths since April 4

The Democratic Republic of&nbspCongo&nbspand UN agencies began deploying emergency teams of specialists over the weekend to try to prevent the spread of an Ebola epidemic suspected to have infected more than 30 people, they said on Sunday. The latest suspected case was reported on Friday in the northwestern province of Equateur, which health minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga visited on Saturday with officials from the WHO and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “We have to pool our efforts quickly and align ourselves with the government response plan to fight this new epidemic effectively,” Kalenga was quoted as saying in a joint statement following their visit to the state capital. Congo&nbspfirst reported the outbreak, centred around the village of Ikoko Impenge, near the town of Bikoro, on Tuesday, with 32 suspected, probable or confirmed cases of the disease, including 18 deaths since April 4. Some deaths occurring as early as January have not yet been linked to the epidemic. A person in the Democratic Republic of Congo who died of a hemorrhagic fever has tested positive for the Ebola virus,&nbspsignaling the start of a new outbreak, the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The case was confirmed from tests on nine people who came down with a hemorrhagic fever in Bas-Uele province in the north of the country on or after April 22, a ministry statement said. Three people have died of fever. Officials are racing to prevent the virus from spreading out of control, as happened in West Africa from 2014-2016, when Ebola killed more than 11,300 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The WHO was criticised for bungling its response to that epidemic and has moved quickly. Congo&nbsphad suffered eight Ebola epidemics previously, but owing to remote geography and poor transport links they have tended to fizzle out rather than spread to become a national crisis. But this epidemic’s proximity to the&nbspCongo&nbspRiver, a major transport route and lifeline both to&nbspCongo‘s capital Kinshasa and to neighbouring&nbspCongo&nbspRepublic’s capital Brazzaville, makes it more likely that the virus could break out into a wider area. The disease –&nbspmost feared for the internal and external bleeding it can cause in its victims owing to damage done to blood vessels –&nbsphas already spread to three separate locations covering 60 km or more in Equateur province. The WHO said on Friday it hopes to deploy an experimental Ebola vaccine to tackle an outbreak. The WHO's Congo spokesman Eugene Kabambi told Reuters: "It is in a very remote zone, very forested, so we are a little lucky. We always take this very seriously." The last outbreak of Ebola in Congo was in 2014 and killed 42 people. Ebola killed more than 11,300 people and infected some 28,600 from 2013, as it swept through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and caused alarm around the world.

Congo, UN deploy specialists to tackle Ebola epidemic

ebola-outbreak

Ebola Outbreak, News on Ebola Outbreak, stories on Ebola Outbreak, articles on Ebola Outbreak, Ebola Outbreak stories at Wion, Ebola Outbreak news, Ebola Outbreak latest news

ebola outbreak