One year after the start of a deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, health officials have confirmed the first direct transmission of the virus in Goma, a city of two million people and a major transit hub. DRC officials said on Wednesday that a second patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in Goma had died. The incident has increased fears the disease could take hold in the densely populated crossroads city on the border with Rwanda.
The patient’s wife and one-year-old daughter both tested positive for the disease, health officials confirmed on Thursday, bringing to four the number of confirmed cases in Goma. The first death in the city, reported on July 16, sparked a wave of concern. In that case, the patient was a priest who became infected during a visit to Butembo, one of the towns hardest hit by the outbreak. Since the Ebola outbreak was declared on August 1, 2018, at least 2,700 people have been infected and more than 1,800 have died. It is now the second-deadliest Ebola epidemic in history, and last month the World Health Organization declared it a rare global emergency.