OUTBREAK

Three Medical Workers Have Contracted Ebola in DRC

“This situation worries us and requires an immediate and energetic response,” the country’s health minister said.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is especially troubling because three medical workers have contracted the deadly virus, which is suspected of killing 17 people so far, according to Reuters. “One of the defining features of this epidemic is the fact that three health professionals have been affected,” Health Minister Oly Ilunga said in a statement. “This situation worries us and requires an immediate and energetic response.” So far, one confirmed Ebola patient has died from the virus. Seventeen people died when the outbreak began near the town of Bikoro in December 2017—but those deaths have not been confirmed as being related to Ebola. “After contact, the nurses began showing signs ... We have isolated them,” the director of Bikoro’s main hospital, Serge Ngaleto, told Reuters. The local airport has reportedly increased screenings, and the health ministry dispatched 12 experts to locate the epicenter of the outbreak.