A new Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, emerged in mid-May and is believed to represent only a fraction of actual cases, according to Yap Boum II, head of emergency preparedness for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Boum, who serves as regional incident manager for the response, made the assessment following a visit this week to an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, where the outbreak is centred.
The assessment comes amid severe security challenges in the region. More than 30 people were killed in armed attacks on nearby villages in the week preceding Boum’s visit, with multiple beheadings reported. These attacks underscore the difficult operational environment facing health responders and threaten community cooperation essential to outbreak control.
Africa CDC and partner organizations are prioritizing community engagement and building trust with local populations as core components of the response strategy. Officials emphasize that public confidence in health interventions is critical to detecting cases and limiting transmission. This is a developing story.
Source: Ebola: Outbreak cases are “tip of iceberg,” says Africa CDC…
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