A Catholic priest in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola after he ministered to a dying patient amid a fresh outbreak of the virus.
A medical source told Agence France Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity that a priest from the diocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro has been put under quarantine after testing positive for Ebola.
According to Katherine Overcamp of Catholic Relief Services, the unnamed priest contracted the virus while "taking care of someone who passed away." She went on to note that the cleric is "responding well to treatment."
There have been reports that three Ebola patients recently escaped from quarantine at a hospital in Mbandaka and were taken by their families to a church to pray with 50 people.
Daily Mail reported that two of the escaped patients were found dead on Tuesday, while the third was taken back to the hospital.
On Friday, the Congolese Health Ministry announced that the death toll as of May 23 had reached 22.
The AFP noted that the death toll had previously been reported as 27. The number of infections has also been reduced from 58 down to 52, which included 31 confirmed, 13 probable and 8 suspected cases. It was unclear if the priest was included in the official figures.
The authorities said that the figures were revised after some cases had tested negative during laboratory testing.
The first case of Ebola in the DRC was reported last Thursday in the city of Mbandaka, which has a population 1.2 million, according to Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, DRC President Joseph Kabila has increased the Ebola emergency funds to $4 million. Various aid organizations have also stepped up the efforts to help prevent and fight Ebola.
According to Catholic News Agency, the World Health Organization has deployed health workers, along with medical supplies, to the affected areas.
UNICEF has reportedly installed hand-washing stations in more than 50 schools as part of the efforts to contain the disease.
A representative of UNICEF in the DRC has reiterated the organization's commitment to help fight against the spread of Ebola.
DRC representative Gianfranco Rotigliano assured reporters that the charity will promptly provide for the needs of students who get infected with the deadly virus.
"I spoke with the schoolchildren, and they know the basic rules including washing their hands regularly, and not shaking hands," Rotigliano told AFP after a visit to schools in Bikoro.
The virus, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids, still has no known cure and has been proven to result in fatalities in 90 percent of cases.
The disease had claimed the lives of 11,000 people during an epidemic in West Africa that lasted from 2014 to 2016.
