DR Congo: 14 cases of Ebola reported

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - Fourteen cases of the Ebola virus disease have been reported since the start of the 11th epidemic declared from June 1 to 10, 2020, in Equateur province, according to the daily bulletin of the national multi-sectoral committee for the response to this disease, obtained on Friday by PANA.

It said the figure included 11 confirmed cases and 3 probable cases, indicating that two new confirmed cases were registered on Thursday in the Bolomba health zone in the town of Mbandaka.

In addition, the countdown to the declaration of the end of the 10th outbreak of Ebola virus disease, which began on May 14, 2020, is on its 29th day without a new case being noticed.

The declaration of the end of this Ebola epidemic in the DRC will be made 42 days after the negative test of the last patient discharged from the Ebola treatment center (CTE) - twice the incubation period of this disease which is 21 days. This negative test took place on May 14, 2020.

Since the resurgence of the Ebola virus disease epidemic in the Beni health area in North Kivu province on April 10, 2020, seven confirmed cases have been recorded, of which four have died. In total, 2,129 people were vaccinated from April 11 to May 20, 2020 around the resurgent cases of Beni.

Since the declaration of this Ebola epidemic on August 1, 2018, the cumulative number of cases is 3,463, of which 3,317 are confirmed and 146 probable. In total, there were 2,280 deaths (2,134 deaths from confirmed cases and 146 deaths from probable cases) and 1,171 winners (healed persons, or survivors). Currently, 425 suspected cases are under investigation.                         

DRC has already vaccinated 303,905 people with the first rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine from August 8, 2018, to May 19, 2020.

Among these vaccinated are healthcare providers, contacts and contacts of contacts of patients.

Since the start of the epidemic, the cumulative number of travelers checked (temperature taken) at health checkpoints until June 9, 2020, is 179,347,795.

To date, a total of 50 entry points (PoE) and health control points (PoC) are operational out of the 109 set up in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri to protect major cities of the country and to avoid the spread of the epidemic in neighboring countries.

-0- PANA KON/IS/KND/VAO 12June2020