UN says about 25 per cent of Ebola cases could be going undetected

HEALTH

UN says about 25 per cent of Ebola cases could be going undetected

The Associated Press Published Friday, June 7, 2019 1:42AM EDT

In this Aug. 8, 2018, file photo, a healthcare worker from the World Health Organization gives an Ebola vaccination to a front line aid worker in Mangina, Democratic Republic of Congo. (AP Photo/Al-hadji Kudra Maliro)

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GENEVA -- The World Health Organization says it may be missing a quarter of all Ebola cases in eastern Congo as violent unrest complicates detection.

That estimate by WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan on Thursday comes after aid groups expressed concern this week that the rate of new cases has been picking up speed.

There have been more than 2,000 confirmed and probable cases of the Ebola virus since August, with nearly 1,400 deaths.

Ryan told journalists in Geneva that WHO believes it is probably detecting only 75 per cent of all Ebola cases.

Health teams have been unable to reach some areas because of violence by rebel groups.

The teams also have come under attack by locals who mistrust foreigners and government officials in a long-volatile region far from the capital.