Ebola end in Congo not in sight – IRC says, as death toll rises
No lesser than 350 persons have now been confirmed dead in what has been described as the second most deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The deadliest outbreak of the virus claimed thousands of lives few years ago.
WHO said late Thursday that about 426 cases have been recorded. An emergency chief with the organisation Dr. Peter Salama describes it as a “sad toll”.
The treatment of affected persons has been made even more difficult due to a resistance from armed rebel groups and some wary locals.
Salama had earlier in the month predicted that it would take at least six more months before the outbreak can be contained.
A Senior Director of Emergency Health at the International Rescue Committee, Michelle Gayer also said in a statement that the “tragic milestone (of the outbreak being the second deadliest in history) clearly demonstrates the complexity and severity of the outbreak.
“The dynamics of conflict (mean) … a protracted outbreak is … likely, and the end is not in sight,” he added.
Congo has suffered 10 Ebola outbreaks since the deadly virus was discovered there in 1976.
