Today the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced four more confirmed cases of Ebola virus in Beni, the current epicenter of the outbreak in North Kivu province.
Officials also recorded three new deaths in Beni, including two community deaths that had safe and dignified burials.
The WHO is concerned about recent cases from a 'red zone' that is close to camps for internally displaced people.
A genomic analysis indicates that Nigeria’s big Lassa fever outbreak this year has been driven by transmission from rats, not by human-to-human spread, easing worries about a possible Lassa superbug, according to a study described yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
"This does not mean that WHO is not taking the outbreak seriously."
Late yesterday afternoon and today the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced five more cases of Ebola virus disease in Beni and Butembo, the current epicenter of outbreak activity.
All three cases announced yesterday resulted in community deaths that involved safe and dignified burials in Beni, the country's health ministry said. Today two cases, one each in Beni and Butembo, were reported.
The new cases lift the outbreak total to 211, including 135 deaths.
As officials report 11 new cases, the WHO says the situation is deteriorating.
A humanitarian group highlights transmission within a school and more response disruption.
Three of the new cases, all fatal, involve children seen at the same clinic in Butanuka district in Beni.
Beni now has 57 confirmed or probable cases, and 35 deaths.
