Congo reported a second case of Ebola in the northwestern part of the country after declaring a new Ebola outbreak over the weekend, confirmed the World Health Organisation (WHO). "Health authorities in the DRC confirmed a second case of Ebola in Mbandaka on April 25. The 25-year-old woman, now deceased, began experiencing symptoms 12 days earlier," tweeted WHO Regional Office for Africa, on Tuesday adding that the second case was the sister-in-law of the first case patient who had also died. Congo declared the 14th outbreak of Ebola virus on April 23 after one confirmed case was reported in Mbandaka, a city in Congo's Equateur province, Xinhua news agency reported.
The patient, a 31-year-old man, began experiencing symptoms on April 5 and after more than a week of care at home, sought treatment at a local health facility. On April 21, the patient was admitted to an Ebola treatment center for intensive care but died later that day. Health authorities are working closely to monitor the people in contact with the two deceased patients, said WHO. Congo is experiencing its 14th Ebola outbreak since 1976. The current outbreak is the sixth since 2018 alone, the most frequent occurrence in the country's Ebola history.