Home / Health / DRC Nurses Beat Rare Ebola Strain; Brazil, Italy Watch
DRC Nurses Beat Rare Ebola Strain; Brazil, Italy Watch
1 Jun
Summary
- Four nurses recovered from Bundibugyo Ebola strain in DRC.
- Confirmed cases reached 282 with 42 deaths; 19 new cases reported.
- Suspected cases investigated in Brazil and Italy linked to travel.
Four nurses receiving treatment for the Bundibugyo Ebola strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been discharged from a Bunia hospital, marking significant recoveries. The World Health Organization reported these discharges on Sunday, noting that more recoveries are anticipated with early diagnosis and intensified response efforts.
A laboratory worker also recovered earlier this week, bringing the total number of survivors to five. Despite these positive developments, suspected cases of Ebola are under investigation in Brazil and Italy, stemming from travel to affected countries.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC has climbed to 282, with 42 reported deaths, following the recording of 19 new positive test results. The WHO recently declared the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
While no licensed vaccine or treatment exists for this specific Ebola strain, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that survival is possible with good medical care. Concerns over regional spread were echoed by Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who noted that over 1,100 suspected cases are being investigated.
In Brazil, a man in Sao Paulo who traveled from the DRC presented with a fever and tested positive for meningitis, while a suspected case in Rio de Janeiro, linked to travel from Uganda, tested positive for malaria. Italy also triggered Ebola protocols for a man returning from Congo with symptoms, but he later tested negative.
