The current outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo began in May, though transmission had been going undetected for some time.
The situation has been declared a public health emergency by the WHO, which says there have been 1,460 confirmed cases in DR Congo, with 150 suspected cases and 452 deaths, as of 1July. According to the WHO, 213 people have recovered.
There have also been 20 confirmed cases in Uganda, leading to two deaths, and one confirmed case in France, as of 1 July.
Ebola is caused by a virus which attacks the body’s immune system and organs.
It normally infects animals, typically fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can sometimes start when people handle infected animals. It is spread through bodily fluids like blood.
Congolese health authorities have said the outbreak is currently restricted to three eastern provinces – South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri.
However, the Reuters and AFP news agencies report that the body of a pregnant woman tested positive for Ebola in the neighbouring Tshopo province. The woman reportedly died in Ituri, before her body was transported by motorbike to Tshopo’s main city, Kisangani, which has a population of about 1.5 million people.
Additionally, an individual suspected of having Ebola reportedly fled from an isolation unit in Ituri and later tested positive in the nearby Haut-Uele province.
Authorities are said to have launched contact-tracing efforts across Tshopo and Haut-Uele. Earlier this week, public gatherings were banned in both these provinces, along with neighbouring Bas-Uele and the capital, Kinshsasa, in order to prevent the spread of Ebola.
