No new confirmed case of Ebola for the 27th day running in DRC
Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - The national multi-sectoral committee for response to the Ebola disease said here on Sunday that, for the 27th day running, no new confirmed case of Ebola was recorded in DR Congo.
However, the declaration of DR Congo as being free of Ebola will be made only after 42 days of no new cases, following the end of ongoing Ebola epidemic in the North-Kivu, Ituri and south-Kivu provinces in northeastern DR Congo, or after the negative test on the last patient discharged from the Ebola treatment center (ETC), or two times the period of incubation of the disease, which is 21 days.
This negative test was carried out on 14 May 2020 at the Ebola treatment center of Beni, in North-Kivu.
Since the resurgence of the epidemic of the Ebola virus disease in the zone of Beni on 10 April 2020, seven confirmed cases were recorded, including four dead.
Altogether, 2,129 people were vaccinated from 11 April to 20 May 2020 around the resurgent cases in Beni.
Since the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic on 1 August 2018, the accumulation of cases is at 3,463, including 3,317 confirmed and 146 probable cases.
Altogether, there were 2,280 deaths (2,134 deaths of confirmed cases and 146 deaths of probable cases) and 1,171 cured patients or survivors.
Presently, 475 suspected cases are being investigated.
According to sources, the response activities are paralyzed in the health zone of Beni, more precisely in Kasanga and Rwangoma. This disrupted also the vaccination activities.
The sources also said that 303,905 persons were vaccinated from 14 February to 10 April 2020, with the second Ad26.ZEBOV/MVA-BN-Filo (Johnson&Johnson) vaccines in the two health areas of the health zone of Karisimbi in Goma.
DR Congo has already vaccinated 302,401 persons against Ebola with the first rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine since 8 August 2018 until 19 May 2020. Among the health care providers are contacts and contacts of contacts of patients.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the accumulation of controlled travelers (temperature taking) at the health check points until 5 June 2020 is 178,872,539.
To date, 50 entry and health check points have been established in the North-Kivu and Ituri provinces in a bid to protect the country’s big cities and avoid the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries.
-0- PANA KON/TBM/MSA/VAO 7June2020
