Get you up to speed: Rare Ebola strain with no cure ‘may be in Europe’ | News World
At least 18 people possibly infected with Ebola fled a hospital in Mongbwalu, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, following attacks by residents attempting to retrieve bodies for burial. Dr Richard Lokodu confirmed one case of Ebola remains active in the community as the outbreak continues to escalate.
The World Health Organization has classified the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a “public health emergency of international concern,” with significant attention on its rapid spread in Ituri Province. Health authorities have noted that 18 potentially infected individuals escaped from a hospital following violent attacks on facilities, complicating containment efforts amid a humanitarian crisis in the region.
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a “public health emergency of international concern,” highlighting risks associated with humanitarian crises in the region. In response to the situation, Lombardy’s regional welfare minister reassured the public, stating, “There is still no certainty that this is Ebola,” as two aid workers with symptoms consistent with the disease await test results.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how many additional Ebola cases may arise following the escape of 18 potentially infected individuals from a hospital.
Rare Ebola strain possibly linked to two aid workers in northern Italy
Health workers in the DRC are working to contain the virus quickly (Picture: Getty)
A health alert has been issued in northern Italy after two aid workers developed Ebola-like symptoms.
At least 220 people have died of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo since an outbreak was declared earlier this month.
Two aid workers who returned to Lombardy after a three-month trip to Uganda are now presenting with symptoms consistent with the disease, including fever, nausea, vomiting, and intestinal problems.
They have been taken to a hospital in Milan, which is equipped to deal with high-risk infectious diseases.
Lombardy’s regional welfare minister has tried to quell fears about a possible spread of the deadly disease.
He told a press conference: ‘There is still no certainty that this is Ebola. We are hopeful that they will be negative.’
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This weekend, 18 potentially infected people fled the hospital after it was attacked (Picture: AP)
The risk to the public remains low.
The strain of Ebola causing the current spread is the Bundibugyo strain, which doesn’t have a vaccine currently. Scientists in Oxford are working on one, but it likely won’t be available for at least six months.
This weekend, at least 18 people possibly infected with Ebola fled a hospital after it was attacked multiple times by grieving families.
Attacks by residents on makeshift hospitals in Ituri province, the centre of the outbreak, have risen in the last week.
Some 18 Ebola patients escaped Mongbwalu general referral hospital on Saturday as people burnt tents set up by Médecins Sans Frontières.
Families are working to avoid the deadly virus (Picture: Reuters)
Dr Richard Lokodu, medical director of the facility, told Reuters: ‘We have one confirmed case of Ebola that continues to circulate in the community and evade the response.’
A suspected patient who was in critical condition died in the second attack while trying to flee from his bed.
The attackers, Dr Lokodu said, wanted to take the bodies of the Ebola victims by force for burial.
Ebola can be contracted through contact with the bodily fluids of a dead person; the virus has spread during mourning and funeral proceedings in previous outbreaks.
Local officials say the attacks are down to a lack of awareness, with some seeing Ebola as a ‘white man’s invention’ or a cash-grab by hospitals.
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