GENEVA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A senior official from the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that healthcare workers were among the first people infected when the current Ebola outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Speaking via video link from eastern DRC, WHO Emergency Director Marie Roseline Belizaire told a press conference that 75 healthcare workers had contracted Ebola since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, and 17 of them had died.
"It is a really high price that the system, the healthcare system, is paying, because we don't have enough of healthcare workers in DRC," Belizaire said.
Responding to questions from journalists, she explained that about 90 percent of Ebola patients did not initially show hemorrhagic symptoms. As a result, many people remained at home self-medicating or sought treatment from traditional healers. She also noted that the body of a person who has died from Ebola is more infectious than when the person was alive.
Belizaire emphasized that while the Ebola outbreak remains a major concern, other diseases, particularly malaria, continue to pose serious health challenges and should not be overlooked. She added that China has deployed a medical team to support response efforts, while Uganda is preparing to send one as well.
The WHO official warned that the situation remains serious and continues to evolve. New cases are still being reported across multiple areas, highlighting the need to maintain and accelerate response measures. To date, the DRC has recorded 896 confirmed Ebola cases and 232 deaths across 33 health zones in three provinces.
