(Bloomberg) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry confirmed a first case of Ebola in the eastern city of Goma, raising concerns that the second-worst outbreak of the virus could reach neighboring Rwanda.
A pastor who had traveled to Goma by bus from Butembo was found to be infected on Sunday, the ministry said. Health officials have tracked down all the passengers on the bus and they will be vaccinated on Monday. The pastor has been taken back to Butembo, the governor of the North Kivu province, Carly Nzanzu, said in a statement on Monday.
“While not welcome news, it is something we have long anticipated,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said on Twitter. “We have been doing intensive work to prepare Goma so that any case is identified and responded to immediately.”
Confirmed deaths caused by the Ebola virus in Congo have risen to 1,536 since the outbreak began in August, with more than 2,400 confirmed and probable cases reported, the WHO said July 11.
Rwanda has vaccinated about 3,000 health workers to prepare for a possible spread of the virus.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ignatius Ssuuna in Goma at issuuna@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Pauline Bax, Alastair Reed
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