Date: 2018-05-21 08:16:17 ID: 1841
On 8 May the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported an Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in the health district of Bikoro, in the Equator province. This is the 9th Ebola virus disease epidemic over the last four decades in the country, the most recent having taken place in 2017.
As at 17 May 2018, 45 cases of EVD were reported, including the cases of three health workers, and 25 deaths have been reported. Out of the 45 cases, 14 have been confirmed. Most of these cases happened in the remote health district of Bikoro, even though a confirmed case happened in Mbandaka, a city of 1.2 million inhabitants, and that has some repercussions on its rapid propagation.
The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has several characteristics of grave concern, namely the risk of rapid propagation, considering that the Ebola virus has now spread into an urban area (the city of Mbandaka).
The WHO assessment of the risk of regional spread of the disease to ECOWAS countries is moderate. However, the recent Ebola Virus Disease epidemic and the geographical spread of Lassa fever and Dengue epidemics testify to this tendency in West Africa. The ECOWAS region is therefore not totally spared and the health authorities must be vigilant.
WAHO therefore recommends that Member States strengthen community surveillance and at health facilities in line with the integrated disease surveillance and response strategy (IDSR), and should ba available to provide support in that regard.
WHO advises against the application of travel or trade restrictions.
WAHO is closely monitoring the situation in DRC and is in contact with WHO-AFRO and the health authorities of ECOWAS countries; and we do encourage everyone to visit out website www.wahooas.orgfor updates on the EVD situation in DRC.
Measures are also currently being implemented towards the publication of an updated weekly report on this issue.