Democratic Congo Faces Spread of COVID-19 and Ebola... '6 Cases with 4 Deaths'

COVID-19, Measles, and Now Ebola Outbreaks
Four Occurrences in Three Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Ebola virus is showing signs of spreading again in the northern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) in Africa. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of Ebola has put global health authorities on high alert.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 1st (local time), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that six cases of Ebola infection have occurred in DR Congo, resulting in four deaths. Director-General Ghebreyesus stated, "This Ebola outbreak reminds us that infectious diseases threatening humanity are not limited to COVID-19."

DR Congo's health authorities also officially confirmed in a press release that Ebola has occurred in the Equateur Province, Mbandaka. DR Congo has experienced four Ebola outbreaks in the past three years. In particular, the Mbandaka region saw 54 infections and 33 deaths from Ebola in 2018. That outbreak spread to Rwanda and Uganda, resulting in over 2,200 deaths.

Ebola, known to be transmitted through bodily fluids, is accompanied by severe bleeding, vomiting, high fever, and diarrhea. To prevent its spread, infected patients must be quickly isolated and bodies safely buried. When first discovered, Ebola was known as a disease with nearly a 100% fatality rate, but with massive investments in treatment development, survival rates have steadily improved. WHO reported that 34% of people infected with Ebola have survived. American pharmaceutical companies Merck (MSD) and Johnson & Johnson have begun vaccine clinical trials.

In addition to Ebola, DR Congo is suffering from a triple burden with COVID-19 and measles also spreading. According to Johns Hopkins University in the United States, the cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases in DR Congo so far total 3,195, with 72 deaths. Experts predict that the actual number of confirmed cases far exceeds the official count due to limited COVID-19 testing in DR Congo and most African countries.

Peter Piot, Dean of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said, "The spread of Ebola in Central Africa is inevitable," adding, "As the population grows, contact with natural ecosystems increases, making Ebola outbreaks unavoidable." Piot emphasized, "The current resurgence of Ebola shows why vaccination must be carried out for the residents of this region."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.