Africa has been hit with a fresh wave of Ebola virus infections amid the fight against coronavirus (Covid-19), according to new reports published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Global health experts have, by far, been the most impressed with Africa’s response to the spread of Covid-19. As things stand, the WHO’s latest situation report suggests that our continent accounts for 1.72% of the global infection total which, as of Monday 1 June, stands at 6 057 853.
DRC gets hit with its 11th Ebola outbreak
However, all of this hard work Africa has committed to slowing the spread of Covid-19 could become undone after it was reported that a new strain of Ebola has popped up in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to the DRC’s government, new cases of Ebola were reported in Wangata health zone, Mbandaka, in Équateur province.
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The DRC finds itself in a precarious position since it has also been dealt with a rapidly spreading Covid-19 and measles outbreak, the largest in the world.
Seeing that this is the country’s 11th Ebola outbreak, the WHO has already enacted its protocol of assisting DRC’s health officials on the ground, collecting test samples and conducting contact tracing to try and stop the virus before it wreaks havoc.
“To reinforce local leadership, WHO plans to send a team to support scaling up the response. Given the proximity of this new outbreak to busy transport routes and vulnerable neighbouring countries, we must act quickly,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti said in a statement.
Key figures on the situation in DRC
Based on data that was recorded on Monday 1 June, DRC currently has six known cases of Ebola, two of which are active. The other four patients have died.
With reference to the other outbreaks in DRC:
- Covid-19: As of 31 May 2020: 3195 cases have been reported, including 72 deaths; and
- Measles: Since 2019, 369 520 measles cases and 6779 deaths have been reported.
