The Technical Secretariat has just published its August 12 update. It has bad news, very bad news, and very good news indeed. The outbreak's toll is approaching 3,000 cases and 2,000 deaths, but the success of the new Ebola drugs can let us hope we won't see 4,000 and 2,700 before the outbreak is over. Excerpt from the Google translation:
MULTISECTORAL NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RESPONSE TO EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE
TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT
SUBJECT: EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI AT 12 AUGUST 2019.
Date: Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 2,837, of which 2,743 are confirmed and 94 are probable. In total, there were 1,898 deaths (1,804 confirmed and 94 probable) and 835 people healed.
• 373 suspected cases under investigation;
• 6 new confirmed cases, including 4 in North Kivu, including 2 in Beni, 1 in Butembo and 1 in Katwa and 2 in Ituri, including 1 in Mandima and 1 in Lolwa;
• 6 new deaths of confirmed cases in North Kivu:
º 1 community death in Ituri in Lolwa;
º 4 deaths in CTEs in North Kivu, including 3 in Katwa and 1 in Mabalako;
º 1 death in the CT in North Kivu in Beni;• 2 cured people released from CTEs in North Kivu, including 1 in Beni and 1 in Butembo;• No health worker is among the new confirmed cases. The cumulative number of confirmed / probable cases among health workers is 152 (5% of all confirmed / probable cases), including 41 deaths.
/!\ The data presented in this table are subject to change after extensive investigation and after redistribution of cases and deaths in their respective health areas.
*News*
Two people healed out Tuesday, August 13, 2019 CT Goma
• Two out of four people infected with Ebola in the cured Goma town came out on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 from Goma CT, located in the Goma General Reference Hospital in North Kivu province, and will resume their normal life in the community;
• These cures are, especially the child and the woman of the 2nd case confirmed Ebola of Goma from Ituri, died on July 31, 2019;
• "Today, two people on the second channel have returned to perfect health. They have been treated by our doctors and nurses in the Ebola Treatment Center with effective drugs and have found the perfect health, it is a great joy," said the technical secretary of the National Multisectoral Committee to the response to the disease. Ebola virus (CNMR-MVE), Prof. Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tanfum;
• For Professor Muyembe and his team, this is a strong message that "Ebola is not synonymous with death, rather, Ebola is curable." It is true that it is a scary disease because it causes a lot of deaths, but today we know that there are drugs against Ebola and if the patient arrives early in the CTE, he has more chance to come out cured like those for the two cured out of Goma CT to date;
• After commending the Goma sub-coordination response team, particularly the care team, for the appropriate care and community for his intervention, and the family for agreeing to be interned, the secretary CRNM-MVE reminded that the main mission of the response team is to stop the chain of human-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus, to treat and cure the people infected by this virus;
• They asked all of the recovered EVD cases to become ambassadors for the response in their respective communities to prevent others from contracting the disease. He also invited them to advise anyone presenting the EVD signs to use the ETC for appropriate and quality care;
• He spoke in these terms: "When you arrive early, you have the chance to heal. The treatment is free, the treatment is of quality. Catering is free and health providers are courteous, kind and above all professional";
• Professor Muyembe has not forgotten, for this purpose to insist on preventive measures to be observed in the community, namely: Do not touch or pick up an animal found dead, avoid any physical contact at this time, wash regularly hands, to avoid touching the sick, to transport our sick brothers and sisters to the nearest health facilities, to avoid handling dead bodies but to accept dignified and safe burials, to accept contact tracing, vaccination and to go to the Center. Ebola Treatment for Healing
• This discharge was made by Prof. Dr. Muyembe in the presence of the governor and the provincial minister of North Kivu, as well as some delegates from the United Nations system and various partners in the response.
The update also reports 192,247 persons vaccinated and 85,566,903 persons screened at 98 checkpoints. Response activities in Beni have been disrupted by the LUCHA movement, which has called for a march. I'll try to find out what that was about.
