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The bombing raids come hot on the heels of the first direct flight between Kinshasa and rebel-held territory, carrying a medical team and equipment to the northeastern Durba/Watsa area where an epidemic of haemorrhagic fever has been raging.
A spokeswoman for MSF-Belgium told IRIN on Wednesday very few new cases of the fever were now emerging in the area and there was no indication the epidemic was spreading to other areas. "The epidemic is clearly diminishing and seems to be closing down," she said. An International Technical Coordination Committee has been formed on the ground, and teams are focusing on epidemiological surveillance, treatment, public
information, water and sanitation, research and logistics.
Latest figures indicate a total of 90 cases, of whom 60 have died. Most cases were from Durba in Province Orientale, with a few cases from Watsa, Nzopi and Monya. The majority of patients were men working in local goldmines, but the most recent case was of a nine-year-old boy, who is currently under observation at an isolation centre set up in Durba, the spokeswoman said. WHO on Friday said the epidemic could be caused by the Marburg virus after one of five samples analysed in South Africa tested
positive. More samples have been sent for testing.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
