The Ministry of Health has published EBOLA DRC - Evolution of the response to the Ebola outbreak in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri on Wednesday 31 October 2018. A new front has opened in the war. Excerpt from the Google translation:
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated October 30, 2018:
• A total of 279 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, of which 244 confirmed and 35 probable.
• Of the 244 confirmed, 144 died and 81 are cured. The others are hospitalized in the different Ebola Treatment Centers (ETCs) installed.
• 51 suspected cases under investigation.
• 3 new confirmed cases, 2 in Beni and 1 in Vuhovi.
º Vuhovi is a new health zone located between Beni and Butembo. The case is the husband of a confirmed case who died at Butembo CTE on October 26, 2018. He refused to follow up and transfer to CTE. He died at the Vuhovi health center where the sample was taken.
• 4 new confirmed cases, 2 in Beni, 1 in Butembo and 1 in Vuhovi.
• 7 new cures, including 6 in Beni and 1 in Butembo.
• 5,679 contacts to follow.
Remarks:
• To avoid that the total number of cases varies (up or down) daily, the suspect cases have been placed in a separate category. Thus, suspect cases with positive laboratory tests will be added to the confirmed category, while negative ones (non-cases) will be removed from the table.
• The category of probable cases includes all reported deaths for which it was not possible to obtain biological samples for laboratory confirmation. The investigations will determine whether these deaths are related to the epidemic or not.
• A community death is a death in the community, outside of a licensed health center.
News of the response
Active search of cases in health facilities
• Investigations in recent weeks in Beni have revealed that many centers of traditional medicine are late referring suspected cases to the CTE. In order to overcome this problem, the surveillance has set up a new active case search strategy in the city's 254 public and private health facilities. Thus, every day, surveillance officers visit the various health facilities in Beni to examine hospitalized patients and determine whether the clinical picture corresponds to the Ebola virus disease. During their visit to the health facilities, they also review the patient's register being passed out to identify potential suspected cases. This active search strategy of cases explains the significant increase of the isolated suspect cases and taken in recent days in Beni. On average, surveillance teams visit 140 health facilities a day.
Vaccination
• Since the beginning of vaccination on August 8, 2018, 24,863 people have been vaccinated , including 13,015 in Beni, 4,391 in Mabalako, 2,002 in Katwa, 1,663 in Mandima, 1,355 in Butembo, 690 in Masereka, 434 in Bunia, 355 in Tchomia, 240 to Komanda, 227 to Kalunguta, 160 to Musienene, 121 to Oicha, 110 to Vuhovi and 100 to Mutwanga.
