The death toll from an outbreak of the Ebola virus in eastern Congo has risen to 67 people, health officials said Saturday, with response efforts complicated by the virus spreading further into conflict areas.

Since August 1, there have been 105 reported cases of Ebola in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, of which 77 have been confirmed by laboratory tests, according to the Health Ministry.

Eleven people have recovered from the virus, which causes vomiting, hemorrhagic fever and diarrhea.

Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga traveled to the heart of the outbreak in Mangina on Thursday and witnessed two patients being released from hospital after undergoing an experimental treatment.

"These two people are among the first 10 patients to have received the therapeutic molecule mAb114," the ministry said in a statement.

It is the first therapeutic treatment to be used in an outbreak of Ebola in the Congo. Four other experimental treatments have also been approved.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Saturday praised Congolese officials for quickly using experimental drugs to combat the deadly virus, calling it "a ray of hope for people with the disease."

Virus spreads in insurgent territory

On Friday, the UN health organization's emergency preparedness chief, Peter Salama, said he had "extremely serious security concerns" after the virus emerged in the town of Oicha in North Kivu.

A doctor there has been hospitalized with Ebola, and 97 of his contacts have been identified in an area almost entirely surrounded by armed militia.

Salama said although Oicha is not occupied by insurgents, the territory around the city is controlled by a murky Ugandan and Congolese militia group known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

"It is the first time we have a confirmed case and contacts in an area of high insecurity. It is really the problem we were anticipating and at same time dreading," said Salama.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Protective clothing Proper protective clothing for doctors and nurses is critical. All exposed skin must be covered with a material that cannot be penetrated by the virus. But the suit alone isn't enough: Proper procedure is also important.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Suiting up Health care workers must practice correctly putting on a protective suit, as seen here at the special isolation unit in Dusseldorf. New suits are used every time, so there is no risk of infection when getting dressed. Unprotected workers are therefore able to help.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Completely separate The patient rooms in the Dusseldorf isolation unit are completely shielded from the outside world. Air is filtered, and wastewater must go through a separate treatment process. The protective suits, used at all times in the ward, are kept at positive pressure. These measures go further than is necessary: While Ebola can be transmitted by contaminated objects, the virus is not airborne.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Disinfectant shower After the patient is treated, the entire suit is sprayed from the outside with a disinfectant to kill off any potential viruses. Only after this shower can the suit be removed - cautiously.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Outside help When removing the protective suit, health care workers must exercise extreme caution. Using permanently installed protective gloves, outside assistance can be provided without coming into direct contact with the suit. After use, the suit is immediately disposed of and burned.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Infected nurses Despite the high safety standards, a total of three nurses in Spain and the United States have contracted the disease. The circumstances surrounding the infection have not yet been clarified. The nurses' homes (as seen here in Texas) were sealed off and disinfected after the discovery of the transmission.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Protection in Africa Doctors and nurses in West Africa have now also been outfitted with protective suits. However, these do not always meet the standards deemed necessary for effective protection. Sometimes, small areas of skin are left unprotected, or the material used in the suit is permeable. In addition, putting the suit on and removing it can be risky.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Isolating the dead Extreme caution is also necessary at the funerals of people who have died of Ebola. A West African tradition, which sees the family of the deceased wash the body has led to many new infections. For mourning friends and family, these strict isolation measures are often hard to understand.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Tent as isolation units In a region where medical care is extremely underdeveloped, such an outbreak provides a daunting challenge. Infected people, like here in Liberia, are cared for in hastily constructed tents. But even a country like Germany would probably be overwhelmed by such an epidemic. At the moment, the country only has around 50 beds set up in isolation units.

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Incineration instead of sunlight In some of the affected West African regions, contaminated suits are hung out in the sun in an attempt to disinfect them for further use. But it's much safer to burn the clothing immediately after use, as seen here in Guinea. However, supply shortages and the high prices of suits make such advice difficult to follow. Protective clothing can cost between €30 and €200 ($40-$250).

Ebola: Fight against the deadly virus Airport controls Air travelers represent the biggest threat when it comes to transmission of the virus over long distances. For this reason, travelers' temperatures are now being monitored at some airports. However, this method does not provide absolute security: Ebola's incubation period is up to 21 days. Author: Marcus Lütticke / cmk



Many civilians have been killed or displaced in fighting around Oicha. Militias have also taken aid workers, priests and government employees as hostages.

On Friday, a suspected ADF attack targeted army troops in Beni, a major town at the center of the Ebola outbreak.

More than 100 armed groups operate in eastern Congo, including dozens around the Ebola outbreak.

The current outbreak is the 10th to hit Congo since the disease was first discovered there in 1976. It is the second outbreak this year.

cw/cmk (AFP, AP, Reuters)

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