The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared a new Ebola epidemic on Friday after a case was confirmed in Mbandaka, in the northern Equateur Province.

According to the WHO, this is the province’s third Ebola epidemic since 2018, and the country’s 14th Ebola outbreak since 1976.
“Time is not on our side,” warned WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti. “We are now playing catch-up after the sickness got a two-week head start. The good news is that health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have more expertise controlling Ebola epidemics than anybody else in the world.”
According to the WHO, just one case has been confirmed thus far. The patient was a 31-year-old guy who first noticed symptoms on April 5th. After being unwell for more than a week at home, he sought treatment at a nearby health institution.

The individual was taken to an Ebola treatment centre for critical care on April 21, but died later that day, according to the WHO.
WHO claimed health professionals detected Ebola signs and “quickly” submitted samples for testing. The group stated that “efforts to halt the present outbreak are already underway,” and that immunizations will begin in the coming days.
“Many individuals in Mbandaka are already Ebola-vaccinated, which should help lessen the disease’s effect,” Moeti added. “Everyone who was vaccinated during the epidemic in 2020 will be revaccinated.” According to the WHO, the deceased patient was given “a safe and respectful burial,” which entailed “changing customary funeral procedures in such a way as to limit the danger of infectious fluids contaminating guests.” Anyone who came into touch with the patient has been identified and will be watched, according to the group, and the health facility where the patient received care has been decontaminated.
The WHO said that there were prior outbreaks in Equateur Province in 2020, when 130 cases were reported, and in 2018, when 54 cases were reported.

The WHO noted, “Ebola is a devastating, frequently lethal infection that affects humans and other primates.” In previous outbreaks, case fatality rates ranged from 25% to 90%, but effective therapy is available, and if patients receive it early on, their chances of survival “increase dramatically,” according to the report.
The Central African country’s tropical woods have been a hotspot of the Ebola outbreak, with over 2,000 people killed by the disease between 2018 and 2020.
Since 1976, when the virus was originally found along the Ebola River in the DRC’s northern area, the DRC has had more Ebola outbreaks than any other country.