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DR Congo Ebola death toll passes 500: health ministry

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More than 500 people have died from the latest outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo, but a vaccination programme has prevented thousands more deaths, the country's health minister told AFP.

"In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured," said a health ministry bulletin published late on Friday, reporting on the outbreak in the east of the country.

But Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said that, for the first time, a vaccination programme had protected 76,425 people and prevented "thousands" of deaths.

Health workers move a patient to a hospital after he was cleared of having Ebola at a Doctors Withou...
Health workers move a patient to a hospital after he was cleared of having Ebola at a Doctors Without Borders supported treatment center in Butembo, DRC in November 2018
John WESSELS, AFP/File

"I believe we have prevented the spread of the epidemic in the big cities" in the region, he said.

"The teams also managed to contain its the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries," he added.

"The biggest problem is the high mobility of the population," the minister added.

The outbreak started last August in the North Kivu region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda.

The Spanish wing of the aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Twitter Saturday that there had been a surge in cases since January 15.

Non-contact thermometers check the temperature of DR Congo visitors at the border Ebola screening po...
Non-contact thermometers check the temperature of DR Congo visitors at the border Ebola screening point in Mpondwe, western Uganda
Isaac Kasamani, AFP/File

Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan, further north, were all now on alert, it added.

The security situation in the east of the country, where armed rebels have terrorised the population for years, has made treating the disease difficult.

More than 500 people have died from the latest outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo, but a vaccination programme has prevented thousands more deaths, the country’s health minister told AFP.

“In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured,” said a health ministry bulletin published late on Friday, reporting on the outbreak in the east of the country.

But Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said that, for the first time, a vaccination programme had protected 76,425 people and prevented “thousands” of deaths.

Health workers move a patient to a hospital after he was cleared of having Ebola at a Doctors Withou...

Health workers move a patient to a hospital after he was cleared of having Ebola at a Doctors Without Borders supported treatment center in Butembo, DRC in November 2018
John WESSELS, AFP/File

“I believe we have prevented the spread of the epidemic in the big cities” in the region, he said.

“The teams also managed to contain its the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries,” he added.

“The biggest problem is the high mobility of the population,” the minister added.

The outbreak started last August in the North Kivu region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda.

The Spanish wing of the aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Twitter Saturday that there had been a surge in cases since January 15.

Non-contact thermometers check the temperature of DR Congo visitors at the border Ebola screening po...

Non-contact thermometers check the temperature of DR Congo visitors at the border Ebola screening point in Mpondwe, western Uganda
Isaac Kasamani, AFP/File

Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan, further north, were all now on alert, it added.

The security situation in the east of the country, where armed rebels have terrorised the population for years, has made treating the disease difficult.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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