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Confirmed Ebola cases in eastern Congo top 1,000 with 254 deaths
Officials reported 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 deaths from an Ebola outbreak centered in Ituri province. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, began May 15 and has spread to neighboring provinces and Uganda.
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Confirmed cases of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo reached 1,003, including 254 deaths, officials said in a statement late Sunday. A total of 100 people have recovered since the outbreak was declared on May 15 in Ituri province, Congo’s Ministry of Health said.
Outbreak details and spread The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatments. Officials described it as the worst in its first month. Cases have also appeared in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces and crossed into Uganda, where 19 confirmed cases and two deaths have been recorded.
Contact tracing and unknowns Contact tracing coverage stands at 55 percent, the ministry said. Officials have not yet identified the outbreak’s patient zero and still need to trace more than 35,000 contacts. Authorities acknowledge that additional undetected cases are likely and that the peak of the outbreak has not yet occurred.
Impact on maternal health services Prenatal consultations at one clinic in the provincial capital of Bunia have fallen from around 60 expectant mothers a month to 10. The United Nations Population Fund has documented extra maternal deaths in Ituri province linked to fear of Ebola exposure at health facilities.
“In three cases, we are certain. Either the woman was scared to go to the health facility because of Ebola, or she had symptoms consistent with Ebola.”
