Democratic Republic of Congo hit by Ebola outbreak

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo officials confirmed Friday an outbreak of Ebola in a northern province.

Health officials in the province of Bas Uele said that samples taken from victims in the village of Likati confirmed the outbreak.

This is not the first time Ebola has hit the East African country. In 2014, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 66 people were infected by the disease and 49 died.

Dr. Charles Kaso of Bas Uele’s Health Department told Anadolu Agency, ''At least 10 cases of hemorrhagic fever have been reported in the past few days. Two deaths have so far occurred.''

He said the disease was confirmed when blood tests of five people suspected to have the disease were done at National Institute for Biomedical Research or INRBR.

"It is unfortunate that our country has been hit by Ebola. We are facing the epidemic of the Ebola virus, which is a public health emergency of international concern," said Public Health Minister Oly llunga Kalenga.

WHO said in a statement that Kalenga informed them of the outbreak and pledged to work with the government to eliminate it.

Ebola caused alarm globally in 2013 when the world's worst outbreak began in West Africa, killing more than 11,300 people and infecting an estimated 28,600 as it swept through Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

Ebola, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola viral disease, is a rare and deadly illness caused by one of the strains of Ebola virus. This viral agent is regarded as a prototype pathogen of viral hemorrhagic fever, with high fatality rates in human beings.