AU's Health Agency Assesses Ebola Risk Levels In DR Congo, Guinea As High

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has assessed the risk level of the Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Guinea as high amid five new infections in the latter country, Africa CDC said on Tuesday

JOHANNESBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2021) The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has assessed the risk level of the Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Guinea as high amid five new infections in the latter country, Africa CDC said on Tuesday.

The African Union-ran public health agency said in a press release that the two countries had registered a cumulative total of 35 cases of Ebola, 18 related deaths and 15 recoveries, of which five cases and three fatalities were reported in Guinea since March 29.

The DRC, on its part, has not reported a single infection over the past 35 days. Its overall total, however, stands at 12 cases, six deaths and six recoveries.

"Provided no new confirmed cases are reported, the outbreak will be declared over in 28 days," the Africa CDC brief read.

As for Guinea, the West African country reported a total of 23 cases of Ebola, 12 related deaths and nine recoveries.

According to the CDC, a total of 7,263 people in the DRC and Guinea have been vaccinated.

The Ebola virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals and is estimated by the World Health Organization to have a 50-percent fatality rate. Ebola is named after the DR Congo's Ebola River, near which the virus was discovered by Belgian microbiologist Peter Piot and his team in 1976.

The largest Ebola outbreak took place in West Africa in 2014-2015, with more than 11,000 people having died and some 28,000 cases having been reported.