Congo’s first Ebola patient in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city, Goma, has died, the government said.
The spread of the Ebola to Goma, Goma’s largest city with more than 1 million people and on the border with Rwanda, has caused alarm that the outbreak, which is already the second deadliest Ebola epidemic ever, could spread more widely to even neighbouring countries.
Patient zero in the Congo outbreak was a priest who contracted Ebola while visiting Butembo town which is the epicentre of the epidemic. He then took a bus to Goma City where he later died.
The priest died whilst being taken to Butembo to receive treatment on Monday. Health officials in Congo have already identified more than 60 people who had come into contact with the deceased but more than half of them had already received vaccination against Ebola.
At least three Ebola cases which emanated from Congo were confirmed in Uganda which has since said it it has recently cleared all Ebola suspects, but there have been no new cases reported in Congo.
