Sad, Catholic Priest Infected with Deadly Ebola Disease
A Catholic Priest in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been quarantined after being infected with the the deadly Ebola virus.
He was infected in the town of Mbandaka, medical sources said Thursday.
“We have quarantined a priest from the diocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro who tested positive” for the Ebola virus, a medical source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Religious authorities could not be immediately contacted.
DRC health officials launched a small, targeted vaccination campaign this week to help curb the latest Ebola outbreak in the country, which has so far claimed 27 lives.
Kinshasa announced on May 8 that there had been cases of the notorious hemorrhagic fever in a remote northwestern district called Bikoro.
The first case was reported last Thursday in a city — Mbandaka, a transport hub located on the Congo River.
According to a World Health Organization count, 58 cases have been identified since early April. It was not possible to establish on Thursday whether the priest was among them.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has reaffirmed its commitment to helping schools and children in the fight against the spread of the virus.
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