DRC buries Ebola victim, WHO starts new vaccinations

The Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday buried the patient who died of Ebola in Beni Friday. The death reset counter of the haemorrhagic fever epidemic as the country was set to declare its official end Monday.

But for the victim’s parents, the patient was asymptomatic. Alphonsine Kahindo, the victim’s mother said they had all along not once suspected Ebola till last Friday.

“I was convinced that my child was suffering from chest pains. I didn’t see any signs of blood. He had no diarrhea and was not vomiting. He was doing well without showing any of these signs. He just had pains in his chest. If he had had diarrhea or vomited, we would have gone to the general hospital. Then we would have known it was Ebola.”

The case of the 26-year-old was the first after 52 days of respite for the country. As of Monday, April 13, the WHO Africa region reported that vaccinations have began in parts of Beni.

“We were going to declare the end of Ebola on Monday but it’s normal, it can happen. That’s why we have put a 42-day window, twice the incubation period, to make sure no transmission chain has been missed,” Steve Ahoka, Public Health Officer said.

The DRC is still in the grip of the Ebola epidemic, the 10th in the country’s history. The current outbreak dates back to August 1, 2018 and has already caused 2,273 deaths according to the WHO.