At least 930 people have died so far in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country’s health ministry has said. Medical work is being severely disrupted in Ituri province because of unrest among health workers.
Data released by the health ministry on Sunday (19 July) said 2,344 people had tested positive for the virus on Saturday, and 37 people had died of Ebola in that period — the highest single-day death toll so far.
The outbreak was declared in eastern Congo on 15 May. It has since become the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record, breaking all previous records. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for this outbreak is less well known than the other viruses that cause Ebola, and there is still no approved vaccine or effective treatment against it.
Ituri province has been the hardest hit. Security risks have made it difficult for health workers to reach many areas, and the resulting limits on treatment are steadily pushing up the death toll there. On Saturday the authorities said there had been at least 12 attacks on health centres and health workers since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, while many health workers are on strike in protest at unpaid wages. At least 36 health workers have died of Ebola in Congo so far. The health ministry said 724 patients are currently being treated in hospital isolation units, and that the government is stepping up its response in affected areas.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report