DRC case trend rises again
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded 9,637 confirmed Ebola cases and 4,646 deaths across eight of its 26 provinces as of October 19, according to World Health Organization figures reported by CGTN.
Between September 29 and October 19, the WHO counted 1,466 confirmed cases, 10.4% more than in the preceding 21-day period. Confirmed deaths rose 7.5% to 692 over the same comparison. The agency said the latest seven-day moving average indicated a modest rise in transmission.
The WHO described the outbreak as being at a critical juncture. It said escalating insecurity, population displacement and restricted humanitarian access were making response operations more difficult in the DRC and increasing the risk of infections going undetected.
Nigeria case remains classified as imported
Nigeria’s health ministry confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja involving a woman who had travelled from Uganda, The Guardian reported. She began showing symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to hospital four days later before being diagnosed. The reports do not confirm any onward transmission within Nigeria.
CGTN’s account of the WHO report said the interval between the woman’s first symptoms and laboratory confirmation raised concern about possible undetected exposures and secondary transmission. That warning identified a risk; it did not establish local transmission in Nigeria.
Kenya reports linked transmission
The WHO report listed nine confirmed cases in Kenya, including one death. Eight secondary infections were linked to an imported case and detected among people already in quarantine.