Republic of Congo warns of lethality of new Ebola strain: 80 deaths, 246 infections

On Saturday, Democratic Republic of Congo Health MinisterSamuel-Roger Kamba announced an outbreak of a new strain of the Ebola virus with an exceptionally lethal degree that could reach 50 percent of those infected. The minister confirmed during a press conference in the capital Kinshasa that the currently rampant Bundibugyo strain does not have preventive vaccines or specific treatments, which weakens the ability of health authorities to contain its spread. Official statistics released on Saturday revealed 246 suspected cases of the virus have been recorded, while the number of confirmed deaths has reached 80. The Congolese Minister of Health pointed out that the early detection of this strain faces complex challenges, since the first symptoms are mostly limited to a mild fever that does not arouse suspicion at first. The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) has issued an urgent warning from Addis Ababa, warning of “the risk of large”of the virus across the African continent. This warning coincided with the Ugandan Ministry of Health announcing the death of a 59-year-old Congolese citizen in the capital, Kampala, confirming that laboratory tests proved that he was infected with the Bundibugyo strain. This new outbreak comes a few months after the declaration of the elimination of a previous Ebola outbreak in the central region of Congo last December, which killed 34 people. The Republic of Congo is experiencing Democracy has a tragic history with this virus, with some 2,300 people dying in the deadliest outbreak the country has seen between 2018 and 2020. Since it was first discovered in 1976, Ebola has killed nearly 15,000 people across Africa over the past five decades. This deadly virus spreads through direct contact with body fluids, is believed to have originated in bats, and can lead to severe bleeding and failure of vital organ functions.