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The eleventh Ebola hemorrhagic fever epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ground floor) expands in the province of Ecuador (northwest) raising the first warning signs, with fears about the amount and use of funds destined to fight the virus, according to medical and official sources.
Since June 1, the new outbreak affects the Mbandaka region, already affected in mid-July by hemorrhagic fever (54 cases, 33 deaths) and connected by river to the capital Kinshasa, about 600 kms away from bird.
“There are now 56 cases, which is very disturbing. This balance exceeds that of the previous epidemic in this region, ”said the regional director for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO), Matshidiso Moeti.
The last balance of the Congolese Ministry of Health, on Friday, gave 58 cases (54 confirmed, four suspects) and 22 dead.
As in every epidemic, the WHO it is afraid of being underfunded, as there is competition with the many diseases that also affect the GDR, such as covid-19, measles or cholera.
“We have less than $ 2 million in cash,” said a WHO official, Fadela Chaib, about the current Ebola epidemic.
This new epidemic began 23 days before the proclaimed end of the tenth Ebola epidemic, more than 1,000 kilometers to the east, mainly in the province of North Kivu, an area also destabilized by the presence of dozens of armed groups.
With 2,287 deaths out of a total of 3,470 cases, it was the second most serious Ebola fever epidemic in history, after the one suffered by West Africa in 2014-2016 (more than 11,000 deaths).
The two Congolese epidemics do not have a common viral strain, the WHO said.
One of the challenges for the health authorities is to overcome the resistance of the inhabitants to vaccines or medical equipment (denial of the disease, refusal of hospitalizations, etc.).
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