Congo confirms 2nd death from Ebola in east province, concerns about outbreak escalates

Congo’s North Kivu province on February 11 registered second Ebola fatality, amid the emergence of another confirmed case in the east of the sub-Saharan African nation. Officials on Thursday announced in a briefing that the victim was a 60-year-old woman, a resident from the health zone of Biena, who contracted the deadly pathogen and later died. Provincial health minister Nzanzu Syalita was quoted saying by The Associated Press that the deceased had visited the health centre same as the first Ebola fatality. Health authorities have now scrambled to trace contacts of both the victims across Biena and Katwa health zones. Earlier, another woman who belonged to the village of Biena succumbed in Butembo province to the virus that has recently made a comeback in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

“Two cases have created panic and frustration among the inhabitants,” AP reported governor’s delegate in the Biena health zone, Longs Mabanga Julio as saying. Furthermore, the provincial health minister, Syalita informed that the second victim’s dead body was handled by a community member ahead of the burial, sparking fears of a full-fledged outbreak across the entire region. Ebola spreads via bodily fluids, particularly from the corpses, the minister said, raising concerns. According to AP, sources related to the Congo government’s health ministry informed that the second victim’s husband was an Ebola survivor. In November 2020, the Democratic Republic of Congo outlasted a severe Ebola outbreak, that had claimed more than 2,000 lives in the year before. 

Read: 'Disease X': Doctors Fear 'new Diseases' More Contagious Than Ebola And COVID-19

Read: Congo Announces End To Its 11th Deadly Ebola Outbreak

Came in contact with 'several persons'

World Health Organization and the DRC's health ministry said in a statement that the victim had a severe infection, and was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit on Feb. 4. She could not survive the health complications. As per WHO, Ebola is often a fatal illness, with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and muscle pain. Victims then suffer from vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, and in some cases bleeding. The woman, reported to have checked into three healthcare centres following nosebleed symptoms on Jan. 25, was confirmed tested positive for Ebola by a lab after her demise. She, therefore, had come in contact with several persons, 117 of whom, the health authorities have tracked. In case of an outbreak, this would be the 12th spread of Ebola in Congo, as the country, also on the sidelines, is making efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic. 

Read: Portuguese Firefighters Get Jabs As Virus Deaths Stay High

Read: Ebola Vaccines Stockpiled Against Future Outbreaks