DR Congo: Ebola reappears in Mbandaka

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - DR Congo Minister of Health Eteni Longondo said here Monday the Ebola virus disease had re-surfaced in Mbandaka, in the ex-Grand Equateur.

At a news briefing held here Monday, Dr Longondo said tests carried out on suspected cases sent to the National institute for Biomedical Rresearch (INRB) were declared positive.

“I want to confirm to you that we have a new Ebola epidemic in Mbandaka, in the province of Equateur, which brings me to travel there to take technical assistance to the response team,” he said.

The Ebola disease reappeared in Mbandaka after the city of Beni in North-Kivu where the countdown to declare the end of the epidemic was at its 18th day.

The disease appeared for the first time in DR Congo in the locality of Yambuku, in the province of Equateur in 1976.

-0-     PANA     KON/IS/MSA/RA     1Jun2020