New cases of deadly Ebola virus have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) city of Butembo, near the Ugandan border, where it has claimed three lives.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed on Friday saying they have stepped up community-based efforts to tackle the Ebola disease in the eastern DRC.
WHO said there were 137 confirmed and probable cases and 92 deaths in the latest outbreak in the east of the country, while UNICEF, announced that “everything is being done” to ensure that the disease is controlled in Butembo “at this early stage”.
Apart from widespread insecurity, one of the biggest challenges is overcoming communities’ hostility to strict health directives, that go against centuries-old cultural traditions, including burial practices.
