Ebola Death Toll in DR Congo Exceeds 490: Authorities – Other Media news

Confirmed Ebola cases currently stand at 1,528, with 26 cases added to the tally during the past day, TASS reported.

The current Ebola outbreak began in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15. Ebola cases and deaths have also been reported from neighboring Uganda.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever) as “a severe, often fatal illness in humans,” with the average case fatality rate of around 32.2%.

Symptoms include sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. The incubation period is between two and 21 days. During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact with sick people and deceased patients.