Ebola outbreak is "more complex" than previous outbreak in C | Figure 1
Ebola outbreak is "more complex" than previous outbreak in Congo
The deputy director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Peter Salama, warned that the ebola outbreak in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) "appears to be more complex" than the previous outbreak in the province of Ecuador.
Last week, authorities identified a group of acute haemorrhagic fever cases, and reported on August 1 that four out of six samples collected from hospitalized patients were positive. On August 3, 43 cases of Ebola disease were reported, of which 16 were confirmed and 27 were considered probable. A total of 22 deaths were reported. Earlier this week, other suspected cases awaited laboratory tests to confirm or rule out the disease by the ebola virus. Three health professionals were affected, one of whom died.
The WHO stressed how the country is experiencing several epidemics in addition to a long-term humanitarian crisis, and says that the security situation in North Kivu may hinder the implementation of response activities.
An experimental vaccine was used during the latest ebola outbreak in the DRC and officials say vaccination will also be part of this response. Last week, contact tracking activities were initiated, and by Saturday, 879 contacts had been registered for follow-up.
Source: Ministère de la Santé RDC (MinSanteRDC).