In an update on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Likati Health Zone, Bas Uele Province in north-east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the World Health Organization (WHO) reported nine additional suspected EVD cases Thursday in Ngayi and Azande.

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
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

This brings the total EVD cases to 29 (two confirmed, two probable and 25 suspected) and three deaths.

Most of the cases presented with fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and other bleeding symptoms and signs.

Out of the five blood samples analysed at the national reference laboratory, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa, two were confirmed Zaire ebolavirus. At least 416 close contacts have been registered in Likati Health Zone and are being monitored.

The current outbreak is the eighth EVD outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was first discovered in 1976 in Yambuku.

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