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| The 2014 Ebola outbreak victims |
An Ebola outbreak has been declared in north-east Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, after the virus caused three deaths since 22 April.
WHO said the outbreak had affected an equatorial forest region in Bas-Uele province, bordering Central African Republic.
The last Ebola outbreak in Congo in 2014 was quickly contained and killed 49 people, according to official figures.
In a television address, the country’s health minister, Oly Ilunga, confirmed the outbreak and urged the population not to panic.
“[The DRC] has taken all necessary measures to respond quickly and efficiently to this new outbreak,” he said.
WHO said it was working closely with Congolese authorities to help deploy health workers and protective equipment in the remote area to “rapidly control the outbreak”.
In 2013, an Ebola epidemic began in west Africa that killed 11,300 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and has left thousands more survivors with long-term health problems.
WHO was criticised at the time for responding too slowly and failing to grasp the gravity of the outbreak. An experimental vaccine was recently developed that WHO said could be used in emergencies.
Culled from The Guardian
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