Via Radio Okapi: Ebola in Butembo: two patients died. Excerpt from the Google translation:
Two patients from the Ebola virus epidemic died on Friday February 19 and Saturday February 20 in the province of North Kivu. This is a woman from the Katwa health zone in Butembo and a man from the Biena health zone in Lubero territory who tested positive on Thursday February 18 in Butembo, indicates the provincial minister of Health, Dr Nzanzu Salita.
According to him, the deceased man was a contact with the very first Ebola case of the twelfth epidemic. This brings the total to six cases of Ebola already recorded, including four deaths.
“We have just recorded two deaths. One, we recorded it last night, another we just recorded this morning. There is an old and a new one, so there is the last case of Biena, so the 6th case that died, and there is also the 3rd case that died. So, out of the 6 (Ebola patients), we have just lost 4, and we remain to take care of 2 who are at the CTE (Ebola Treatment Center) in Katwa,” detailed Dr Nzanzu Salita.
Dr Nzanzu Salita Eugène thus asks all contacts of these Ebola cases to go to health structures as quickly as possible in order to find out their state of health.
“We call on families not to make these deaths just another opportunity for contamination because we know that when an Ebola patient dies, the number of viruses is quite high at that time. So if you touch his body, you risk infecting yourself and infecting many people,” the provincial minister warned.
He insists that the population should not hide with this disease. “You have to get to care as quickly as possible, if you are in contact with a patient, contact our health structures to find out your state of health because, as soon as you have started the signs, you have little almost 10 days,” advised Dr Nzanzu.
Awareness sessions
To limit the spread of the virus in Ebola, the provincial minister of health of North Kivu is increasing awareness sessions. On Saturday February 20, he met with pressure groups and citizen movements at City Hall. He called on everyone to get involved in raising public awareness for community engagement against this disease and against COVID-19.
Transmitting the real information and avoiding rumors around Ebola in order to avoid the errors known during the 10th Ebola epidemic, this is the key message from the provincial minister of health of North Kivu to his interlocutors.
