(Kinshasa, DRC, 25th) As the Ebola virus threatens several African countries, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on the 24th that the Democratic Republic of Congo has detected more than 900 suspected cases.
In his statement, Tedros noted that over 900 suspected cases have been identified so far as the country ramps up Ebola surveillance efforts.
He mentioned that in Ituri Province, where the outbreak began, nearly five million people live amid ongoing conflict, and one in four people there require humanitarian aid.
The country's Ministry of Health reported the previous day that three provinces had reported 204 deaths.
Africa CDC Director Ahmed Ogwell Ouma described the DRC's fight against the epidemic crisis as akin to “soldiers going to the battlefield empty-handed.” He said high population mobility and volatile situations in the region have exacerbated the cross-border spread of the Ebola virus.
Currently, ten African countries could be affected, including Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.