Congo will not close schools despite Ebola outbreak

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Congo’s government has no plans to close schools in its eastern provinces due to the spread of the Ebola virus, which has already killed at least five students since it broke out in mid-May, an official said Saturday.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, concentrated in three eastern Congolese provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, carries a fatality rate of between 30% and 50% among confirmed cases, according to WHO data.

Health Minister Roger Kamba told reporters in the provincial capital of Ituri, Bunia, that the priority remains strengthening preventive measures in schools, not closing them.

“We will not close schools. We will introduce preventive measures so that we do not punish children twice,” he told reporters.

However, he expressed concern over the deaths of at least five school children in Ituri province, which he blamed on self-medication and delays in providing medical assistance.

The number of cases is increasing

Kamba appealed to families to avoid home treatment and to quickly refer suspected cases to health facilities.

According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 134 confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the current outbreak in Congo and Uganda.

Congolese health authorities say new suspected cases continue to be registered, with a cumulative number of more than 1,000 recorded since the outbreak was declared.

Confirmed cases include nine recorded in Uganda, while 18 deaths have occurred in the two countries.

(Vijesti.ba)

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