A third Ebola patient has died in the latest outbreak of the deadly disease in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Friday.
“On May 6, the most recent Ebola case patient passed away. Health responders in DRC are working to ensure the deceased receives a safe and dignified burial”, tweeted the WHO regional office for Africa.
At present, three Ebola cases have been reported and all the patients died, amid the 14th Ebola outbreak declared late April in DRC’s northwestern province of Equateur.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is experiencing its fourteenth Ebola outbreaks since 1976. The current outbreak is the sixth since 2018 alone – the most frequent occurrence in the country’s Ebola history. Previous outbreaks in Equateur Province were in 2020 and 2018, with 130 and 54 recorded cases respectively.
The most recent outbreak ended in December after six deaths in the past. Mbandaka has also struggled in the last two outbreaks – 2018 and 2020.
Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks. There is now an effective treatment available and if patients receive treatment early, as well as supportive care, their chances of survival improve significantly.
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