Congolese health authorities are tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola in two provinces not previously affected by the latest outbreak, amid fears the virus could spread further.
Outbreak Details
The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,307 people and killed 377 across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to government data.
In Tshopo province, health workers are tracing people who may have been exposed to the body of a pregnant woman who died of Ebola in Ituri’s Niania health zone. The woman fell ill on June 18 and died on June 27, and her body was transported by motorcycle about 300 km west to the city of Kisangani in neighbouring Tshopo province, where a sample taken at a morgue tested positive for Ebola.
Separately, a senior health official said two people identified as contacts of Ebola cases in Niania and who had been placed in isolation for testing, had fled to Haut-Uele province. One of the two tested positive for Ebola, while the second was awaiting a confirmatory test.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
