A new case of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in the eastern Congo city of Beni, Congo’s health ministry announced on Monday, which it said is linked to an earlier outbreak.
Tests carried out at a laboratory at the National Biomedical Research Institute in Goma confirmed that the case was the Zaire strain of Ebola and was genetically related to the tenth Congo outbreak in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces of 2018 to 2020 that killed more than 2,000 people, the ministry said.
The case involved a 46-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital in Beni in late July and died on August 15 after suffering from symptoms associated with Ebola.
“Our team on site in Beni has carried out a dignified and safe burial and has also decontaminated the hospital where the patient was staying,” the ministry said.
More than 130 high-risk contacts have been identified, of which 71 have been seen. The others remain at large, the ministry said.
“We call on the population to calm down and respect the hygiene measures,” adds the ministry statement.
Congo has recorded 14 outbreaks of Ebola since the virus was discovered in the war-torn country in 1976. The latest outbreak from April to July occurred in another region of Ecuador province and kill five people
Ebola is spread by contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids or contaminated materials. However, the early symptoms of fever and muscle aches resemble those of other common diseases such as malaria.
Apart from vaccines, there is no effective treatment available that, if received early, can significantly improve the chances of survival.
This latest announcement in Beni comes as the region is under threat from various rebel groups, including rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces who have killed more than 2,000 people in more than a year, according to several rights groups.