The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 1,000 infections, spreading to a third displacement camp and killing an 18-month-old girl.
Congolese Authorities confirmed that the death toll has risen to 254.
The rapid spread of the disease across three eastern provinces has raised concerns among African health experts, who warn that the outbreak could eventually exceed the scale of the 2014–2016 West African epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.
According to a Congolese health report, “the 18-month-old girl was tested for Ebola on June 14 at the Hungbe displacement camp but died before her positive result was returned the following day.”
According to the the report, she developed a fever more than a week earlier and was taken on foot to two health centres, where she received antibiotics before eventually being tested for Ebola.
Health officials identified at least 107 contacts linked to the child, including relatives, healthcare workers and residents of other camps.
A health official in the nearby Nizi zone, Dr. Emmanuel Musingusi Bulemu, said isolation facilities were insufficient.
“We need to separate these patients from the community because they risk infecting others but where can we put them?,’’ he added.
Two additional confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in Kpangba, another displacement camp in the same region that shelters people displaced by years of conflict involving armed groups, militias and government forces.
At least 30 deaths have also been reported at another displacement site in Bunia.
Preliminary data from UNICEF indicates that children account for nearly one-fifth of all confirmed Ebola cases. A smaller number of infections have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda.
Reuters/NAN
