Africa’s top health agency has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province.
Around 246 cases and 80 deaths have been reported, mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara, said the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Ugandan officials confirmed one case of imported Ebola from DR Congo on Friday, with the country’s health ministry stating that a 59-year-old male who died on Thursday had tested positive.
Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in what is now DR Congo, and is thought to have spread from bats. This is the 17th outbreak of the deadly viral disease in the country.
It is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids and through broken skin, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache and sore throat, and are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and bleeding.
There is no proven cure for Ebola. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the average fatality rate is around 50%.
