Ebola deaths reach 41 in DRC, but a new therapy is being used
The decision to use the vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, came after trials during a pandemic in West Africa showed it to be safe and effective
Beni — Forty-one people have died in the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), health authorities said on Tuesday, adding that doctors were using a novel drug to treat patients. Out of 57 recorded cases as of Monday, 41 were fatal, the DRC health ministry and UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) said. Fourteen of the deaths had been confirmed by lab tests, the ministry said. Last Friday, the ministry put the tally at 37 deaths, either confirmed or suspected. The outbreak is the country’s 10th since 1976, when the disease was first identified in the DRC near the Ebola River, a tributary of the Congo. Its epicentre is Mangina in the region of Beni, in the strife-torn eastern province of North Kivu. For the first time since the outbreak was announced on August 1, one fatality was recorded outside of North Kivu — in the neighbouring province of Ituri, the ministry’s directorate for disease control said. It added that doctors in Beni had started to use a nov...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.