HATTIP RONAN KELLY
Democratic Republic of the Congo (the)
The DRC confirmed cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Isiro, Capital of Upper Uele (Eastern Province).
Note for Media No. 47
The Minister of Public Health of the DRC, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi confirmed Friday, August 17, 2012 the occurrence of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Isiro, County town health district of Upper Uele, about 570 kilometers northeast of Kisangani, capital of Orientale Province.
To date, "a total of 11 probable or confirmed cases (10 to 1 in Dungu and Isiro) with 9 deaths (8 to 1 in Dungu and Isiro) have been reported," said the Minister of Health during a press conference in Kinshasa, adding that laboratory results provided by the Institute of Uganda Virus Research Entebbe (UVRI) have confi rmed two positive cases Ebola Bundibugyo strain Isiro, city of more than 200 thousand inhabitants.
Currently, 47 people contacts are under surveillance in the area of health Isiro which 44 are from the village of Zambasende and 3 of the Health Zone Dungu.
Meanwhile, emergency crews mixed the Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control (CDC-Atlanta) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are working closely on site for the response to this outbreak.
"I ask all people of the DRC to take action to address this epidemic, observing the strict measures of collective and individual hygiene and avoid eating meat from animals found dead in the forest, or even touch the corpse of a dead person of viral haemorrhagic fever, "said Dr. Kabange Numbi.
"This hemorrhagic fever, a highly contagious and kills between 25 and 90% of patients," noted for its part, the WHO Representative in the DRC, Dr. Léodégal Bazira. He launched a "call to action for all partners to stop the epidemic as soon as possible".
For additional information, please contact:
Dr. Léodégal Bazira, WHO Representative in the DRC
Email: baziral@cd.afro.who.int
Mr. Eugene Kabambi, Communication, Media & Advocacy, DPR / WHO DRC
Email: kabambie@cd.afro.who. int http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/la-rdc-confirme-des-cas-de-la-fi%C3%A8vre-h%C3%A9morragique-%C3%A0-virus-ebola-%C3%A0
