The Ministry of Health has published Ebola DRC - Evolution of the response to the Ebola epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri on Tuesday February 26 2019. Excerpt from the Google translation:
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated February 25, 2019:
• Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 875, of which 810 are confirmed and 65 are probable. In total, there were 551 deaths (486 confirmed and 65 probable).
• 196 suspected cases under investigation;
• 3 new confirmed cases, including 1 in Mandima, 1 in Vuhovi and 1 in Butembo;
• 3 new deaths of confirmed cases, including 1 in Mandima, 1 in Vuhovi and 1 in Butembo, all are community deaths;
• 1 new person healed out of Butembo CTE.
/! \ Cleaning databases in progress: Revision of the database of people cured. We will start sharing the number of cures as soon as the revision is complete.
News of the response
Revision of databases
• The different databases are being revised to check and harmonize them. In discussion with the different partners involved in epidemiological surveillance, the decision was made to reclassify all cases in the health zone where they started the symptoms of the disease. Several questions arose as to the classification of some cases that had moved between two or even three health zones between the onset of symptoms and their death. In these particular cases, only thorough investigations can determine where the person has started to show signs of the disease, which may take several days. Pending the results of the investigations, some of these cases are tentatively classified in the health zone where they were detected.
• These cases include the patient from Katwa who fled to Bunia with her family after falling ill in her area of residence but whose body was found in Komanda. This patient was initially classified in Komanda but was reclassified to the Katwa Health Zone after completion of the in-depth investigation.
• On Tuesday, February 26, 2019, Lubero District Chief Medical Officer said that a case of Ebola had been detected in the health zone of Lubero. This is a young woman from Katwa, who was known to be in contact with another confirmed case and who refused to be transferred to the Ebola Treatment Center when she became ill. She ran away from Katwa for Lubero. She died the next day at the Lubero General Referral Hospital from where the alert was launched. This patient was classified in the health zone of Katwa, where her first symptoms appeared.
Vaccination
• Since the start of vaccination on 8 August 2018, 83,813 people have been vaccinated , including 21,434 in Katwa, 20,673 in Beni, 10,367 in Butembo, 6,109 in Mabalako, 2,839 in Kalunguta, 2,590 in Goma, 2,317 in Komanda, 2,084 in Oicha, 1,813 to Mandima, 1,357 to Karisimbi, 1,325 to Kyondo, 1,283 to Kayina, 1,094 to Bunia, 1,064 to Vuhovi, 920 to Masereka, 772 to Mutwanga, 767 to Biena, 739 to Lubero, 590 to Rutshuru, 583 to Musienene, 527 in Nyankunde, 496 in Mangurujipa, 426 in Rwampara (Ituri), 355 in Tchomia, 333 in Lolwa, 280 in Mambasa, 254 in Alimbongo, 207 in Kirotshe, 141 in Nyiragongo, 97 in Watsa (Haut-Uélé) and 13 in Kisangani.
• The only vaccine to be used in this outbreak is the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine, manufactured by the pharmaceutical group Merck, following approval by the Ethics Committee in its decision of 19 May 2018.
