DRC Update

The latest data from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu province shows the total case count has risen to a total of 116 EVD cases (86 confirmed and 30 probable) including 77 deaths (47 confirmed and 30 probable).

Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under a very-high magnification, this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a single filamentous Ebola virus particle that had budded from the surface of a VERO cell of the African green monkey kidney epithelial cell line.
Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under a very-high magnification, this digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a single filamentous Ebola virus particle that had budded from the surface of a VERO cell of the African green monkey kidney epithelial cell line.

One new confirmed case has been reported in Beni.

The outbreak has been reported in five health zones in North Kivu (Beni, Butembo, Oicha, Mabalako, Musienene) and one health zone in Ituri (Mandima).

The World Health Organization (WHO) said this week that the outbreak is at a key juncture.

Recent trends suggest that control measures are working. Over the past week, contact follow-up rates have substantially improved, most patients recently admitted to Ebola treatment centres (ETC) received therapeutics within hours of being confirmed, and ring vaccination activities have scaled to reach contacts (and their contacts) of most confirmed cases reported in the last three weeks.

Fifteen cases have been reported among health workers, of which 14 were laboratory confirmed; one has died. All health worker exposures likely occurred in health facilities outside of the dedicated ETCs.

Since the start of vaccination on August 8, 2018,  4,851 people have been vaccinated, including 2,523 in Mabalako, 1,176 in Beni, 1,017 in Mandima, 121 in Oicha and 14 in Kinshasa (members of a new medical team to deploy).


WHO/China Agreement

On Friday, WHO and China have signed a new funding agreement to support the response to the current Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), illustrating the strengthening of collaborative efforts between WHO and China towards the advancement of global public health.

Image/rawpixel via pixabay
Image/rawpixel via pixabay

“China’s support will help WHO save lives and bring this outbreak under control as quickly as possible,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “It’s a strong statement of solidarity with the people of DRC, and builds on previous joint responses to public health crises in Africa, Syria and Yemen. We are committed to working together to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.”

The support from China will contribute to WHO’s response capacity in North Kivu. The government in Beijing also plans to send staff on secondment from Chinese national health authorities to the WHO response effort.