New Ebola outbreak declared in Democratic Republic of Congo

Enlarge / This is a colorized transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of an Ebola virus virion. (Cynthia Goldsmith) (credit: CDC)

Two out of five samples from patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have tested positive for Ebola virus disease, sparking the DRC government to declare an outbreak, the World Health Organization confirmed Tuesday.

The five samples are all from the iIkoko Iponge health facility near Bikoro in Equateur Province, which is located in the northwestern part of the country along the shores of Lake Tumba. In the past five weeks, the area has reported 21 cases, including 17 deaths, suspected to be from a viral haemorrhagic fever. This is a generic term for illnesses involving fever and bleeding that are caused by a variety of viruses, including Ebola.

The WHO notes that Bikoro's health facilities have "limited functionality" and largely rely on international aid and supplies. The DRC's Ministry of Health tested the five patient samples at the Institut National de Recherche Biomi(C)dicale (INRB) in Kinshasa, the country's capital.

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