Latest Democratic Republic of the Congo News & Updates

Kinshasa, June 9 (IANS) The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 550, including 101 deaths, with health authorities warning that the outbreak continues to trend upward.According to an update released Monday, 35 new confirmed cases, including 10 deaths, were recorded on Sunday in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. Seven additional patients recovered, bringing the total to 19.The outbreak was still on an upward weekly trend and the …

Hyderabad, June 8 (IANS) Taking serious note of some travellers from Ebola-affected countries providing false addresses in Hyderabad, Telangana Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha on Monday ordered that cases be booked against such individuals. He ordered that cases be registered against those providing incorrect information, in accordance with applicable laws, including the Epidemic Diseases Act.The minister directed that travellers be clearly informed at the airport itself that providing fa…

Kampala, June 8 (IANS) Uganda has deployed a team of health workers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help contain the Ebola outbreak in the neighbouring country, a senior health official said on Monday.Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at Uganda’s Ministry of Health, made the remarks during a meeting with visiting World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Kampala, Xinhua news agency reported.According to a post by the ministry on the social me…

Kinshasa, June 8 (IANS) The tally of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 515, including 91 deaths, as the health authorities warned of continued transmission and the risk of further increases if control measures are not put in place quickly. The update, published on Sunday (local time) by the health ministry, said that three more patients were declared recovered, bringing the count of recoveries to 12 as of June 6.The report said 117 suspected cases w…

Port Louis, June 6 (IANS) The Mauritian government has imposed a temporary entry ban on foreign nationals who have travelled to, transited through, or stayed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan over the past 21 days following the latest outbreak of the Ebola virus.Mauritian citizens and foreign residents holding valid work, residence, occupation, business, or student permits will still be allowed to enter the country, but will be subject to a mandatory 21-day qu…

United Nations, June 6 (IANS) Increased deadly attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this week isolate communities and threaten the Ebola response, UN humanitarians have warned.The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday (local time) said the intensifying violence is claiming civilian lives and severely restricting humanitarian access in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.OCHA said that in North Kivu, local authorities reported an armed attac…

Kinshasa, June 6 (IANS) The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 452, including 82 deaths, according to the latest situation report released by the country’s health ministry.According to the report, health authorities reported 71 new confirmed cases on June 4, including 21 deaths, in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, a sign of rapid and continuing community transmission amid the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.A total of 2…

Kinshasa, June 4 (IANS) Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have risen to 363, including 62 deaths, according to figures released by the DRC government, while Uganda on Thursday reported four recoveries.The latest developments were discussed on Thursday during an online press briefing organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, which brought together senior WHO officials and government representatives from the DRC, Uganda and South…

Canberra, June 4 (IANS) The Australian government on Thursday committed funding to support the global response to the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and prevent the spread of the disease.Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Minister for International Development Anne Aly said in a joint statement that Australia will provide 5 million Australian dollars (around 3.6 million US dollars) to the initiative.”Australia’s funding, directed through the International Federation of the Red Cross and t…

Geneva, June 4 (IANS) The World Health Organization (WHO) said at a press conference in Geneva that with concerted efforts and coordination, the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is catching up. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who just returned from a visit to the DRC, said on Wednesday (local time) that he was very encouraged by the level of commitment he saw in the country. “What I saw gave me hope, although challenges remain….