By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Democratic Republic of the Congo

This digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a number of filamentous Ebola virus particles (red) that had budded from the surface of a VERO cell (blue-gray) of the African green monkey kidney epithelial cell line./NIAID

The latest on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) shows seven new confirmed cases and 10 new confirmed deaths, according to the latest numbers released yesterday.

Since the beginning of the epidemic last August, the cumulative number of cases is 2,211, of which 2,117 are confirmed and 94 are probable. In total, there were 1,489 deaths.

Uganda

The Uganda Ministry of Health reported Friday that Uganda has not registered any new confirmed Ebola case in Kasese District or any other part of Uganda.

There are no suspect cases under admission.

456 individuals have been vaccinated against Ebola Virus Disease in 13 areas of Kasese District. 
The vaccinated individuals are contacts to the confirmed Ebola cases and non vaccinated frontline health and other workers.

On Friday, a 19-year-old male passed away after presenting with symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever. However, testing performed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute was not only negative for Ebola, but also Marburg, Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic fever and Rift Valley fever.


Ebola is “fake” dilemma

In addition to the hurdles health workers face in the DRC when battling this outbreak–violence from armed groups and community members–another issue must be overcome…some don’t believe Ebola is real!

In a recent Thomson Reuters opinion piece, British Red Cross director of programmes and partnerships, Alex Carle writes that some question the existence, stating some examples:

“The Ebola virus doesn’t exist; it’s a virus that was made to eliminate the Congolese.”

“Ebola came as a gateway for several organizations that come to loot our minerals.”

“To increase or expand the list of deaths at Ebola Treatment Centres, innocent people are accused of being sick.”

The most common is that Ebola is a tool being used to exploit communities for influence or money, but we we’ve also heard a rumour that patients at the centres were given a pill to make them die.

They have to battle the false rumor mill with innovative techniques like using transparent body bags, as one example.

The second largest EVD outbreak ever faces many stumbling blocks and a big thank you is warranted to the Ebola workers on the front line facing these myriad of issues.