Suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo more than double in one week

The number of suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo's southern Kasai province have more than doubled in a week since a new outbreak was confirmed there, Africa’s top public health agency said on Thursday.

The suspected cases have increased from 28 to 68 in recent days, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at an online briefing. It has also spread from to two to four districts while the death toll currently stands at 16.

Local residents expressed concerns on Thursday over the outbreak, the first in DR Congo in three years and the province’s first in more than a decade.

The fighting in eastern DR Congo has complicated efforts to contain the disease, which can spread rapidly due to the proximity and density of villages and provinces, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, a principal adviser with Africa CDC, said at the briefing.

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“It was two (districts), now it is four,” Ngongo said.

The outbreak was announced a week ago after a pregnant woman was confirmed to have been infected in the locality of Boulapé.