DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Fear the First
The Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed the first case of Ebola in Goma, a city of more than 2 million people in the eastern part of the country near its border with Rwanda.
Confirmed late Sunday, the patient is a pastor who had been in the hard-hit town of Butembo, in North Kivu province, the Associated Press reported. The detection of the deadly and highly contagious disease in a major population center marks a serious escalation in the outbreak – which is already the second deadliest in history.
So far, around 1,600 people have died since the latest epidemic began last August, partly because the conflict-torn areas where the disease is spreading are too dangerous for health workers to access. Another problem is that many locals are reluctant to accept an experimental vaccine that has shown some success in preventing infections. Some believe Ebola itself is a poison invented by the international community to facilitate the trade in body parts, the BBC reported.
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