Democratic Republic of Congo

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Just as Ebola Epidemic Was Nearly Defeated, a Big Problem

Patient flees, sparking fears flare-up will become a larger outbreak

(Newser) - An Ebola patient has escaped from a clinic in eastern Congo, leading to fears that a flare-up of the hemorrhagic fever that started April 10 won't be so easily contained. The Democratic Republic of Congo hadn't seen a new case in more than seven weeks, and was two...

Why You Should Care About a Huge Peatland in Africa
It Turns Out Peat Is Way, Way
More Important Than You Knew
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 6, 2019 10:25 AM CDT

It Turns Out Peat Is Way, Way More Important Than You Knew

If peatlands burn, the planet will suffer greatly

(Newser) - If you've never thought much about peat, that's understandable. An accumulation of partially decayed vegetation that can develop into a material more than 20 feet deep, peat covers just 3% of the Earth. But a lengthy article from National Geographic makes clear it's a powerhouse thanks to...

Amid Ebola Crisis, a Border Closure

Access to and from Rwanda near Congolese city of Goma is now restricted

(Newser) - Last month, the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed more than 1,800 over the past year, was declared an international health emergency , spurring fears that neighboring nations would seal their borders. Now Rwanda has done just that, at least partly. Access between the...

Ebola Outbreak: Now It's a Global Emergency

WHO makes the announcement after virus hits city of 2M

(Newser) - The deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo is now an international health emergency, the World Health Organization announced on Wednesday after the virus spread this week to a city of two million people, the AP reports. A WHO expert committee had declined on three previous occasions to advise the United Nations...

First Ebola Case Confirmed in City of 2M
Ebola Reaches City of 2M
Jul 15, 2019 12:15 AM CDT

Ebola Reaches City of 2M

Infected pastor traveled to Goma, Congo

(Newser) - The Congolese health ministry confirmed an Ebola case in Goma late Sunday, marking the first time the virus has reached the city of more than 2 million people along the border with Rwanda since the epidemic began nearly a year ago. The health ministry says the man, who arrived earlier...

Justice Years After Disemboweled Bodies Found in Field

ICC finds Bosco Ntaganda guilty of war crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo

(Newser) - The International Criminal Court came into being in 2002. Seventeen years later, it notched its fourth conviction. Former Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda, known as the "Terminator," was convicted on Monday of war crimes and crimes against humanity, among them, sexual slavery—the first time the ICC has...

They'd Hoped to Contain Ebola in the Congo. That Plan Failed

2 have died in Uganda, and there are more suspected cases

(Newser) - The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting Friday over an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has now made its way into Uganda. Citing Ugandan Health Ministry information, the New York Times reports that two people—a 5-year-old Congolese boy and his 50-year-old grandmother—died...

Ebola Health Worker Killed by Villagers

Democratic Republic of Congo continues to struggle to contain outbreak

(Newser) - Health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to struggle to effectively combat the deadly virus that's currently raging in an "out of control" outbreak : On Saturday, villagers killed a health worker, AFP reports, citing the daily health ministry bulletin dated Sunday. "Part of the population...

Ebola Outbreak Is &#39;Out of Control&#39;
Ebola Outbreak Is
'Out of Control'
May 15, 2019 4:44 PM CDT

Ebola Outbreak Is 'Out of Control'

Experts warn that a ceasefire is needed in the DRC

(Newser) - The Democratic Republic of Congo's devastating Ebola outbreak is the second-biggest in history , but experts are now saying it's out of control and could end up rivaling the worst epidemic ever, which devastated three west African countries between 2013 and 2016. More than 1,600 people in the...

Park Ranger Explains This Selfie
Park Ranger
Explains This Selfie
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 28, 2019 2:00 PM CDT

Park Ranger Explains This Selfie

Orphaned gorillas like to mimic humans, he says

(Newser) - A park ranger in Congo has described how he captured a selfie with two gorillas that went viral. Mathieu Shamavu, a ranger at Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, says he was checking his phone when he noticed two female orphaned gorillas, Ndakazi and Ndeze, mimicking his movements, so he...

Doctor Possibly Exposed to Ebola Is Now in Nebraska

US doctor was working at a missionary hospital in Democratic Republic of Congo

(Newser) - A US doctor possibly exposed to the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now back in the US. The unidentified 39-year-old treated a "severely ill" patient at a missionary hospital who later tested positive for the deadly virus, Politico reports. A day later, the US physician...

'Rare' Reaction Kills Boy During 'Life-Saving' Surgery

Matadi Sela Petit was only 8 years old.

(Newser) - The story of a Congolese boy who came to America for life-saving surgery took a tragic turn when news emerged Saturday about his medical procedure, CNN reports. Matadi Sela Petit, 8, had a life-threatening facial tumor that inspired former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo to take him from the Democratic Republic...

Ebola Outbreak Now History's 2nd-Biggest

Almost 400 cases confirmed in northeast Congo

(Newser) - Congo's deadly Ebola outbreak is now the second largest in history, behind the devastating West Africa outbreak that killed thousands a few years ago, the World Health Organization said Thursday. WHO's emergencies chief, Dr. Peter Salama, called it a "sad toll" as Congo's health ministry announced...

Latest Ebola Outbreak Could Be Uncontainable

Bad news from CDC director, other experts

(Newser) - For the first time since Ebola was identified in 1976, the disease could become a persistent presence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield warned Monday that the new outbreak in Congo is so severe it may not be containable, the Washington Post reports. Most previous outbreaks have...

New Ebola Outbreak Claims 13 More Lives

Congo had just declared another outbreak over with 33 reported deaths

(Newser) - The number of confirmed cases in Congo's new outbreak of the Ebola virus has risen to 13, including three deaths, the health ministry said late Saturday. The World Health Organization has warned that this new outbreak of the deadly virus in North Kivu province poses a particular challenge as...

After Bloody Months, Africa's Oldest National Park Is Closed

Virunga national park needs to implement 'much more robust' safety measures

(Newser) - Park ranger may not be a deadly occupation in America; the same can't be said for the Democratic Republic of Congo. After the deaths of at least a dozen rangers in the country's Virunga national park over a span of just 10 months, the park will be closed...

Ebola Situation Evolves in 'Concerning' Way Overnight

City of Mbandaka now reports 3 confirmed cases, a worrisome first for Congolese urban areas

(Newser) - Developments in a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken what one health official deems a "concerning" turn overnight. Per the Guardian , Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the head of the country's National Institute for Biomedical Research, says lab results have confirmed two additional cases of Ebola in Mbandaka;...

Ebola Outbreak Enters Worrying New Phase

First cases detected in a city in Congo

(Newser) - Congo's health minister says Ebola has spread to a city, the capital of Equateur province, a worrying shift in the new outbreak in the northwest, the AP reports. Health Minister Oly Ilunga says two suspected cases of hemorrhagic fever were reported in the Wangata health zones, which includes Mbandaka...

Female Park Ranger Dead; 2 British Hikers Freed

Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty were ambushed in Democratic Republic of Congo

(Newser) - A pair of British hikers looking for adventure in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been freed after being kidnapped, but a 25-year-old park ranger is dead. British authorities said Sunday that Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty had been freed after gunmen ambushed their vehicle in Virunga National Park on...

New Ebola Outbreak Confirmed in Congo

17 with signs of hemorrhagic fever have already died

(Newser) - The world has a new Ebola outbreak on its hands. The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an outbreak Monday after samples taken from two of five patients in the country's northwest province of Equateur tested positive for the Zaire strain of Ebola. More testing is underway, and NPR reports...

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