Yes,
If this virus were not so hot we would be in deep kimchi.
Es Salaam
Tanzanian health authorities have cautioned people living in regions neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the central African country.
Western Tanzanian regions bordering DRC include Mbeya, Rukwa, Kigoma and Kagera.
“All regional medical officers have been instructed to keep on alert because people from eastern parts of DRC enter into Tanzania through the four regions,” Wilson Mukama, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said in a statement.
Meanwhile the UN World Health Organization (WHO) clarified that while the latest figures released by various sources mention 375 cases and 167 deaths in western Kasai Province of DRC, the cause of death cannot be confirmed yet.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709190780.html
Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Date: 20 Sep 2007
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Western Kasai DREF Bulletin No. MDRCD001
The situation
On Monday, 10 September 2007, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officially declared an Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) (1) epidemic in the country. The confirmation followed laboratory tests conducted at the Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF) in Gabon and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, USA. Laboratory analyses of samples from eleven patients with suspected EHF cases and four people they had come into contact with revealed that six tested positive.
The area most affected by the epidemic extends 70 km from Makonoku – in radius – reaching Kampungu, Kaluamba and the surrounding villages of Mweka (2) and Luebo, all in Western Kasaï Province. In early June 2007, several people fell ill in Bena Ndongo (one of the seven villages surrounding Makonoku); they displayed symptoms such as fever, headaches, diarrhoea, colic and vomiting. They all died within one week; deaths were also recorded in Kampungu and Kaluamba. Additionally, some suspected cases have been reported in Kananga, the capital of the province, approximately 170 km from the most affected areas. The epidemic can potentially spread to other bordering zones and provinces.
On 18 August 2007, the central office of the health zone was informed of the situation by the nurse in charge of the Makonoku health post. The central office then dispatched two supervisors to assess the situation. Their report confirmed that 46 deaths had occurred (14 in Kampungu and 32 in Kaluamba). The deaths were reported in communities where health centres recorded the least attendance by patients.
From 20 to 25 August, 300 cases, with 82 deaths, had been registered. According to medical records, as at 11 September 2007, a total of 372 cases, with 166 deaths, had been reported; translating to a fatality rate of 44.6 per cent. One hundred and seven people were confirmed to have come into contact with the patients and these were followed up. Thirteen patients were admitted to hospital; four of them are recovering.
Notes
(1) Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) is one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind, causing death in 50-90% of all clinically ill cases. Several different species of Ebola virus have been identified. The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons. Source: WHO – http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/
(2) The population of Mweka is 140,000 people while Kananga, where a few suspected cases have been registered, has a population of 1 million people.