Congo Boat Passengers Screened for Ebola
All 255 people on a boat that was stopped on the Congo River are being screened for cholera and Ebola by Congolese officials.
About 65 kilometers (40 miles) upstream from Kinshasa, the Chinese-operated Yingfeng 2 was stopped close to Bende Bende port.
Screening was being done as a preventative step, according to Health Minister Roger Kamba, following the hospital death of a passenger who had diarrhea and fever after leaving the boat in Mongala Province.
A baby, a three-year-old toddler, and two more people have also passed away.
Teams from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the health ministry have boarded the boat and established a mobile laboratory for testing.
He noted that the ship departed Mongala in the northwest DR Congo 22 days ago, where there have been no Ebola cases, despite earlier reports to the contrary.
The passenger had been on the boat for a few days before being transferred to the Pimu Health Zone for treatment while still in Mongala.
The boat went over 1,700 kilometers downstream toward Kinshasa before being halted.
Security services have been instructed to quarantine the Yingfeng 2 offshore in compliance with WHO norms in order to prevent it. The virus from potentially spreading into the capital. Public health professionals are prepared to respond once the boat is secured.
DR Congo Ebola Cases and Deaths Rise
Since May 15, the nation has been battling its 17th Ebola epidemic. It was brought on by the uncommon Bundibugyo virus species, which hasn’t been observed in over ten years.
Although the first human studies for a vaccine are already taking place in the UK, there are no medications that particularly target Bundibugyo.
Infections and fatalities are still on the rise three months after the epidemic was announced.
According to official statistics, the second-deadliest Ebola epidemic has resulted in 3,973 confirmed cases and 1,801 fatalities.
At Kinshasa’s primary entrance gateway, Maluku, monitoring and rapid-reaction capabilities are being strengthened in anticipation of a potential Bundibugyo response.
