The Ebola virus has claimed 31 lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The casualties have doubled in less than a week.
The World Health Organization urges that the virus be brought under control before it spreads into neighboring towns.
A WHO spokesman in Kinasha, the capital of the DRC, insists that the epidemic is not under control and urges that steps be taken to ensure that the disease does not spread.
An estimated 2 million dollars has been set aside to help combat the disease, which is thought to have been caused by tainted meat hunted by villagers.
The virus has, so far, claimed the lives of people living in the towns of Isiro and Vladana in the northeastern province of Orientale.
The WHO’s latest figures show that there are now 65 probable cases of Ebola in the Congo with 108 people under surveillance.
The capital of the DRC is home to 9 million people who have little or no access to health care and sanitation. The infrastructure is crumbling. In fact, just last year the country was at the bottom of the United Nations development index.
It is crucial that health workers and government officials work together to develop a plan that will stop the spread of this deadly virus.
