Skip to main content

DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak - Aug 2018

Status
Past
Countries
DR Congo
+ 1 more
Disaster types
Epidemic

The Government of [DR Congo (DRC)] announced on 1 Aug 2018 that preliminary laboratory results indicate a cluster of cases of Ebola virus in North Kivu province. The announcement was issued little more than a week after the Ministry of Health declared the end of an outbreak in Equateur Province in the far western part of the country, some 2500 km from North Kivu. (WHO, 1 Aug 2018)

The Ministry of Public Health...today [8 August] announced the launch of Ebola vaccinations for high risk populations in North Kivu province. The vaccinations have begun just one week after the announcement of a second outbreak of Ebola this year in the country. A total of 44 cases have been reported so far, of which 17 have been confirmed. (WHO, 8 Aug 2018)

The 1 September 2018 marks one month since the declaration of the [EVD] outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces...As of 2 September 2018, a total of 122 confirmed and probable EVD cases, including 82 deaths, have been reported. Of the 122 cases, 91 are confirmed and 31 are probable...The epicentre of the outbreak remains Mabalako Health Zone in North Kivu Province, reporting 70% (86/122) of all cases and 76% (62/82) deaths, including 65 confirmed and 21 probable cases...Additionally, four other health zones in North Kivu Province and one in Ituri Province have reported confirmed and probable cases...Of concern is an apparent increase in transmission in Beni Health Zone, where the number of confirmed and probable cases has increased from eight on 23 August 2018 to 19 cases on 2 September 2018. (WHO, 4 Sep 2018)

While substantial progress has been made to limit the spread of the disease to new areas and the situation in Mangina (Mabalako Health Zone) is stabilizing, the cities of Beni and Butembo have become the new hotspot...As of 18 September 2018, a total of 142 EVD cases (111 confirmed and 31 probable), including 97 deaths (66 confirmed and 31 probable) have been reported in seven health zones in North Kivu Province (Beni, Butembo, Kalunguta, Mabalako, Masereka, Musienene and Oicha), and Mandima Health Zone in Ituri Province. (WHO, 20 Sep 2018)

[EVD] outbreak in [DRC] is becoming increasingly undermined by security challenges in at-risk areas, particularly Beni...Since the last Disease Outbreak News (data as of 9 October), 29 new confirmed EVD cases were reported: 23 from Beni, four from Butembo, one from Mabalako, and one from Masereka Health Zones in North Kivu Province. (WHO, 11 Oct 2018)

The meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) regarding the [EVD] outbreak in [DRC] took place on...17 October 2018...It was the view of the Committee that a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) should not be declared at this time. But the Committee remains deeply concerned by the outbreak and emphasized that response activities need to be intensified and ongoing vigilance is critical. The Committee also noted the very complex security situation. (WHO, 17 Oct 2018)

WHO Director-General...today declared the [EVD] outbreak in the [DRC] a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). (WHO, 17 Jul 2019)

The health authorities in [DRC] have announced plans to introduce a second experimental Ebola vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, from mid- October. (WHO, 23 Sept 2019)

On 28th August 2019, Uganda received an imported case of [EVD] from [DRC] in Kasese District, Uganda. On 28 October 2019 The Ministry of Health officially declared the end of the [EVD] outbreak which occurred in Kasese District. (Uganda Govt/WHO, 28 Oct 2019)

On the night of 27 November, unidentified armed attackers launched two separate attacks on a camp housing Ebola outbreak response staff in Biakato Mines and on the Ebola coordination office in Mangina. These were the latest in a series of similar incidents this year, during which WHO has documented approximately 390 attacks on health facilities that have killed 11 and injured 83 health care workers and patients in DRC. (WHO, 01 Dec 2019)

The [EVD] outbreak in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces...remains stable, with no new cases and deaths recorded during the reporting week. This is the nineteenth consecutive day without reporting new confirmed EVD cases. During the last 21 days (from 16 February to 7 March 2020), one new confirmed case was recorded from Kanzulinzuli health area in Beni Health Zone. The last confirmed EVD case was discharged from the isolation facility on 3 March 2020.[...] As of 7 March 2020, a total of 2 264 deaths were recorded, including 2 130 among confirmed cases, resulting in a case fatality ratio among confirmed cases of 64% (2 130/3 310). As of 7 March 2020, the total number of health workers affected remains at 171, representing 5% of confirmed and probable cases. WHO, 8 Mar 2020

Six cases have been reported since 10 April, four of whom have passed away; two in the community and two in an Ebola treatment centre (ETC). Currently, there is one confirmed case receiving care at an ETC and one who remains in the community; response teams are engaging with the community in order to try to bring the person to the ETC for access to treatment and supportive care, and to prevent further transmission in the community. Prior to the emergence of this cluster in Beni, the last person confirmed to have EVD tested negative twice and was discharged from a treatment centre on 3 March 2020. WHO, 23 Apr 2020

On 25 June 2020, the Minister of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared the end of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu Provinces. In accordance with WHO recommendations, the declaration was made more than 42 days after the last person who contracted EVD in this outbreak tested negative twice and was discharged from care. (WHO, 26 Jun 2020)