Congo Confirms First Case Of Ebola Outbreak In A Major City

The Congolese Health Ministry has confirmed the first ever Ebola case in a major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The Ebola outbreak is reported in the city of Goma, which is a major city and home to over two million people.

On Sunday night, it was reported that a pastor, who was with infected people in the town of Butembo, was tested positive for the illness. The infected person traveled 125 miles (200km) in a bus with nearly 20 people to reach Goma.

However, the health ministry said the risk of spreading this illness is low. According to it, all the co-passengers of the infected person and the driver will be vaccinated on Monday.

“Due to the speed with which the patient has been identified and isolated, as well as the identification of all passengers from Butembo, the risk of spreading to the rest of the city of Goma remains low,” the Congolese Health Ministry said in a statement.

The city has been preparing for a possible Ebola outbreak since the first case of this deadly disease was reported in the country almost a year ago. Last November, the health ministry of Goma launched response activities and preparations to fight against this deadly virus. As of now, three thousand health workers in the city got vaccinated.

The confirmation of an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Congo borders, which is near Rwanda, highlights the rapid rise of Ebola crisis in DR Congo. The virus has spread to the areas where it is too dangerous for the health teams to reach out. Over 1,600 people in the region died.

Though the health team has come up with an experimental vaccine, people in the region are not ready to accept it.

The largest outbreak of this deadly disease was reported in West Africa during the period 2014-16. The outbreak took the lives of nearly 11,310 people and affected more than 28, 600 individuals mainly from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The virus is spread through close contact with infected people or animals, including forest antelope, chimpanzees and fruit bats. The virus also spreads through close contact with bodily fluids of the infected people or animals and even through indirect contact with contaminated environments.