Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has issued a dire alert about the hazards posed by the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus, just a day after the country declared its 17th outbreak.
Addressing the press from Kinshasa, Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, said that a total of 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths have been reported so far in the eastern region of Ituri province. This outbreak has taken place after one infected person died in Bunia last month, with the dead body being sent back to Mungwalu, a mining settlement.
“We have to trace all the contacts of these infected persons,” stated Minister Kamba while reiterating the importance of contact tracing.
The Minister pointed out the particular difficulties associated with the Bundibugyo strain, since there is no specific vaccine or treatment for it, unlike the more common Zaire strain. In addition, the early stages of the infection manifest only as fever and tiredness, which means people might mistake it for the regular flu or malaria.
“Hemorrhagic symptoms may occur later,” said Kamba. Unnoticed infections can spread the virus much faster. The mortality rate of this strain can reach 50%.
According to the Africa CDC, there are potential risks for regional transmission. A cross-border case in neighbouring Uganda has already demonstrated this.
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