Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018

Ebola Virus

Ebola situation reports: Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Ebola outbreak continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a total of 132 confirmed and probable Ebola cases, including 91 deaths and 36 cases who have recovered. A total of 17 healthcare workers have been affected, three of whom have died.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports, “we are working closely with DRC’s Ministry of Health and other international partners to support a response plan that provides rapid, localized outbreak control. This includes disease tracking, case investigation, contact tracing, case management, safe and dignified burials, community engagement, social mobilization, and use of ring vaccination with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-Zaire Ebola virus (rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine).”

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports, “as of September 10, 2018, 48 vaccination rings have been defined, in addition to 13 rings of healthcare and other front line workers. These rings notably include the contacts (and their contacts) of the confirmed cases from the last three weeks. To date, 8229 people consented and were vaccinated, including 2526 healthcare and front line workers, and 1968 children. There is one area in Ndindi, where the implementation of vaccination is hampered by community resistance.”

For more information, please visit the World Health Organization’s website.