19 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said 39 cases of the virus have been recorded between April 4 and May 13, including the 19 deaths.
It said in a statement that 393 people who identified as contacts of Ebola patients are being followed up. Meanwhile information about the outbreak in towns like Bikoro, Iboko and Wangata health zones in Equateur province was still limited, according to the WHO.
The global body also said that the current state of the outbreak does not require a declaration of a “public health event of international concern”.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is to receive 4,000 doses of Ebola vaccine secured by the WHO as the it prepares to deploy them.
The body’s Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti told Reuters that “We’re working on the deployment of these materials, especially readying the cold chain.”
“The start date of the vaccinations will depend on this deployment,” Moeti added.
DRC is recording the latest cases of the virus after over a year since the outbreak killed four people.
Over 11,000 people died from the deadly virus in 2014 when it hit West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The virus which is transmitted by bats was first discovered in DRC in 1976 and named after the Ebola river.
Source: Africafeeds.com
