Congolese Catholic priest survives Ebola infection

June 16, 2018 1:25 PM

Father Lucien returned to the parish on June 8, 2018, after he was taken to an Ebola treatment centre in Bikoro.

One Father

According to the reports, Father Lucien returned to the parish on June 8, 2018, after he was taken to an Ebola treatment centre in Bikoro.

ALSO READ: Ebola outbreak 2018: everything you need to know

Instablog9ja reports that he got infected with the virus while praying for an Ebola patient.

An ecstatic crowd was waiting to welcome him back to the Parish on Friday, lifting him shoulder high while chanting “The hero this year is Courage (Father Ambunga’s nickname).”

Father Lucien emphasized just how excited he was to be back.

“I can’t’ explain to you now Madame. It’s too much for me. What I can say, what is in my heart, is joy.”

We rejoice with Father Lucien.

Panic across Africa as Ebola spreads in Congo

The rest of Africa is now in panic mode after Congo’s health minister, Oly Ilunga, announced that Ebola has spread to three more health zones--a worrying shift in the latest outbreak of the fatal disease.

On May 8, 2018, a new outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was declared by the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) government, after two samples tested positive for EVD in Bikoro, Equateur Province.

According to Ilunga, two suspected cases of the hemorrhagic fever have now been reported in the Wangata health zones, which includes Mbandaka city, which lies about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Bikoro, a rural area where the latest outbreak began.

Ilunga says Congo is now entering an urban phase of the outbreak, which translates to higher spread potential.

ALSO READ: 7 preventive tips to protect you from the virus

Doctors working to isolate contacts

Epidemiologists have been working round the clock to identify additional contacts to the 500 already identified.

Congo has now reported 23 deaths among the 42 suspected, probable and confirmed cases, the AP reports.

It is Congo’s ninth known outbreak of Ebola since 1976, when the deadly viral disease was first identified in then Zaire by a Belgian-led team.