WHO warned DR Congo Ebola outbreak has a clear potential to expand

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02:24

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday that a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has a clear potential to expand since it reported seven more cases in the country.

Peter Salma, who is in charge of emergency response at the WHO, said that people are on the epidemiological knife edge.

He said the next few weeks will really tell whether this outbreak is going to expand to urban areas or people are going to be able to keep it under control.

According to the organization, there have been 58 cases since the outbreak in early May, of which 27 persons have died as of Wednesday.

The country’s health workers have started a vaccination campaign to contain the outbreak of the disease on Monday.

A first case was reported last Thursday in Mbandaka, a city of over one million people.

The WHO warned that a deadly Ebola outbreak in the DRC has a clear potential to expand since it reported seven more cases in the country. /CGTN Photo

In the previous outbreaks in the country, the disease was contained in remote jungle villages or small towns where isolated patients were unlikely to spread the disease to larger cities. But the 1.2 million-strong Mbandaka sits right on the Congo River, which is a major transportation artery in the region. It connects Mbandaka with the DRC’s capital of Kinshasa and the Republic of Congo’s Brazzaville.

Therefore, the case in Mbandaka has raised concerns that the disease could spread downstream to Kinshasa and Brazzaville, or even upstream, affecting over 11 million people in Central Africa.

Ebola virus disease is a viral hemorrhagic fever affecting humans and other primates. Symptoms typically start with a fever, sore throat, muscular pain and headaches after contracting the virus.

The disease has a high risk of death, killing between 25 and 90 percent of those infected due to low blood pressure from fluid loss such as internal and external bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with body fluids, such as blood, from infected humans or other animals.

Wang Zhiyong, the head of the Chinese Medical Team in Brazzaville. /CGTN Photo

Wang Zhiyong, the head of a Chinese medical team in Brazzaville, said there hasn’t been any Ebola case reported in the Republic of Congo.

But to protect people from the virus, those who care for infected persons with Ebola should wear protective clothing including masks, gloves, and wash their hands frequently. People should avoid any contact with the body fluids of those infected by the virus.

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