New case of Ebola Virus disease confirmed in DRC

Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research has reportedly confirmed a new case of Ebola Virus infection in the city of Beni, the Eastern part of the country.

What! did I hear you right?

Yes! The confirmation is coming just two days after the World Health Organization said authorities were investigating a suspected case in Beni, after a 46-year-old woman showed symptoms consistent with the disease.  A statement by the Institute said genetic sequencing showed that the case is linked to the 2018 outbreak in North Kivu Province, which killed about 2,300 people.

Any possible reason for the re-outbreak?

Congo’s dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir for the Ebola virus which can sometimes linger in the eyes and central nervous system and bodily fluids of survivors and then flare up later in the future. Since 1976, the Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded 14 different outbreaks of the disease.