18 Oct (Reuters) – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to an eighth province, North Ubangi, according to the country’s public health institute, confirming Reuters reports published earlier.
The emergence of cases in the province, which borders the Central African Republic, represents a new challenge for health authorities that are struggling to contain the outbreak.
The National Biomedical Research Institute confirmed two cases — including one death — in North Ubangi.
Reuters reported on Thursday that two cases had been confirmed in the province, citing two health officials. At the time, there was no official statement from Congolese authorities.
North Ubangi becomes the eighth province affected by the outbreak, along with North Kivu, Ituri, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, South Kivu, Bas-Uele and South Ubangi.
Read more: Kenya confirms four new Ebola cases, raising total to seven
The outbreak, the worst Ebola epidemic in Congo’s history, has already spread beyond the country’s borders, with cases recorded in Uganda and seven confirmed infections in Kenya this month.
The latest Congo situation report indicated 67 new confirmed cases and 26 new deaths in the 24 hours to October 16, raising the total to 9,415 cases and 4,536 deaths since the start of the outbreak.
The outbreak remains concentrated in eastern Congo, with Ituri province recording 44 of the 67 new cases.
(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru)
