Ebola cases are rising in North Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even as the outbreak shows signs of improvement in neighbouring Ituri Province.
Cases in Ituri, which has been the epicentre of the outbreak in eastern DRC, fell by 26 per cent this month.
However, North Kivu recorded a 73 per cent increase over the same period.
Cases have been reported across North Kivu, including in major cities such as Beni and rural communities.
Mabalako General Hospital is the only treatment facility serving people infected with Ebola in the rural community where it is located.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) visited the hospital last week to strengthen its capacity to respond to the outbreak.
“We are facing some issues. Almost all our treatment centres are completely full,” said Guy Mutombo, operations officer for North Kivu’s Ebola response.
He said the response team was proposing that each health zone should have an isolation centre or Ebola treatment facility to accommodate new cases.
“The proposal is for each health zone to have an isolation centre, or Ebola treatment centres, so that all incoming cases can be cared for,” he said.
North Kivu was the site of the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak, which resulted in thousands of deaths.
The latest increase in cases is putting additional pressure on health facilities, particularly those serving rural communities.
African News
