The World Health Organization is assisting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to respond to a new Ebola outbreak in the city of Mbandaka in the northwest of the country. There have been six confirmed Ebola cases in Mbandaka, with five deaths resulting.
The five Ebola victims, who included a 15-year-old girl, died between 18th – 30th May, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported.
WHO is already on the ground in Mbandaka supporting response, while contact tracing is underway.
Although the new outbreak represents a challenge, WHO and its partners are up to the task, said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa.
“To reinforce local leadership, WHO plans to send a team to support scaling up the response. Given the proximity of this new outbreak to busy transport routes and vulnerable neighbouring countries we must act quickly”, said Dr. Moeti.
