H5N1

DRC Ebola: Ten new cases, four new deaths, and a mass for Dr. Mouzoko Kibound

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 Saturday, April 20, 2019. Excerpt from the Google translation:

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI 

Saturday, April 20, 2019   

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease  dated April 19, 2019:   

• Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 1,327, of which 1,261 are confirmed and 66 are probable. In total, there were 859 deaths (793 confirmed and 66 probable) and 387 people cured. 

• 250 suspected cases under investigation; 

• 10 new confirmed cases, including 3 in Katwa, 2 in Butembo, 2 in Kalunguta, 1 in Masereka, 1 in Vuhovi, and 1 in Beni;  

• 4 new confirmed case deaths, including 

º 3 community deaths, including 1 in Katwa, 1 in Kalunguta and 1 in Vuhovi; 

º 1 death at the CTE of Butembo; 

• 4 new cures, including 2 from the CTE of Beni and 2 CTE of Butembo.    

/! \  The data presented in this table are subject to change later, after extensive investigations and after redistribution of cases and deaths in their health areas.

News of the response 

Mass of thanksgiving in memory of Dr. Richard Mouzoko in Butembo 

• A Mass of thanksgiving was held this Saturday, April 20, 2019 at the Butembo hostel in memory of the Cameroonian epidemiologist deployed by WHO, Dr. Richard Mouzoko Kibound, who died the day before in an attack on health clinics. the Catholic University of Graben (UCG). This mass was said by the chaplain of UCG University Clinics, Father Christian Tandari, who revealed that if God reminded him of Dr. Richard Mouzoko on Good Friday, it is to show that Richard is good in Christ and like Christ as a physician, Richard gave his life for his brothers, men. The body of the deceased arrived this afternoon in Goma from which he will be repatriated to his country of origin. 

º Dr Aruna, National Response Coordinator, on behalf of the Minister of Health, regretted this act and urged members of the national and international response not to give in to discouragement, but rather to continue their efforts until the end. at the end of this epidemic in order to honor the memory of their missing colleague.  

• In addition, another attack took place this Saturday around 3 am in the Katwa sub-coordination office located at the Katwa Reference General Hospital. This attack was mastered by the police in Katwa and the death toll is a dead assailant and three wounded still on the side of the attackers.    

Vaccination  

• Since the beginning of vaccination on August 8, 2018, 104,232 persons have been vaccinated , including 28,056 in Katwa, 22,547 in Beni, 12,656 in Butembo, 6,740 in Mabalako, 4,408 in Mandima, 3,150 in Kalunguta, 3,070 in Goma, 2,569 in Oicha, 2,537 at Komanda, 1,845 at Vuhovi, 1,774 at Masereka, 1,649 at Kyondo, 1,630 at Kayina, 1,487 at Bunia, 1,357 at Karisimbi, 1,193 at Lubero, 1,027 at Musienene, 1,025 at Biena, 772 at Mutwanga, 690 at Rutshuru, 557 in Rwampara (Ituri), 527 in Nyankunde, 496 in Mangurujipa, 420 in Mambasa, 355 in Tchomia, 333 in Lolwa, 342 in Kirotshe, 254 in Alimbongo, 250 in Mweso, 245 in Kibirizi, 161 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.

DRC Ebola: Ten new cases today, 63 this week, 1,327 in total

The MoH/WHO AFRO Ebola DRC KIVU 2018 Dashboard reports ten new cases today. That makes 63 for the current week, 245 in the past 21 days, and 1,327 since the outbreak began. Out of 11,500 contacts, 1,700 are not being traced.

DRC Ebola: 15 new cases, 12 deaths (8 in community), and a murder today

The Ministry of Health has published EBOLA DRC - Evolution of the response to the Ebola outbreak in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri to Friday, April 19, 2019. It makes for grim reading. Excerpt from the Google translation:

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI 

Friday, April 19, 2019   

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease  dated April 18, 2019:   

• Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 1,317, of which 1,251 are confirmed and 66 are probable. In total, there were 855 deaths (789 confirmed and 66 probable) and 383 people cured. 

• 293 suspected cases under investigation; 

• 15 new confirmed cases, 11 in Katwa, 1 in Butembo, 1 in Mandima, 1 in Masereka and 1 in Kalunguta;  

• 12 new confirmed cases, including 

º 8 community deaths, 7 in Katwa and 1 in Masereka; 

º 4 deaths at CTE, including 3 in Butembo and 1 in Katwa; 

3 new cures, 2 of which came out of Mabalako CTE and 1 from Butembo CTE.   

/! \  The data presented in this table are subject to change later, after extensive investigations and after redistribution of cases and deaths in their health areas.

News of the response 

Armed attack at Clinics of the Catholic University of Graben (UCG) 

• This Friday, April 19, 2019, a Cameroonian epidemiologist deployed by the World Health Organization, Dr. Richard MOUZOKO KIBOUNG, died of his wounds during an attack at clinics at the Catholic University of Graben, Butembo. Dr. Richard was the coordinator of the response in the Vutsundo health area. He was chairing a meeting with his team when three armed men burst into the room and opened fire on the teams. A local doctor and a driver were also injured in the attack. The attackers also burned vehicles and the yard built at the entrance of the hospital.

Vaccination  

• Since the beginning of vaccination on August 8, 2018, 103,451 people have been vaccinated , including 27,595 in Katwa, 22,443 in Beni, 12,513 in Butembo, 6,715 in Mabalako, 4,375 in Mandima, 3,150 in Kalunguta, 3,070 in Goma, 2,569 in Oicha, 2,537 at Komanda, 1,845 at Vuhovi, 1,759 at Masereka, 1,649 at Kyondo, 1,630 at Kayina, 1,487 at Bunia, 1,357 at Karisimbi, 1,193 at Lubero, 1,027 at Musienene, 1,025 at Biena, 772 at Mutwanga, 690 at Rutshuru, 557 in Rwampara (Ituri), 527 in Nyankunde, 496 in Mangurujipa, 420 in Mambasa, 355 in Tchomia, 333 in Lolwa, 342 in Kirotshe, 254 in Alimbongo, 250 in Mweso, 245 in Kibirizi, 161 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.

DRC Ebola: 15 new cases today, 53 this week, 1,317 total

The MoH/WHO AFRO Ebola DRC KIVU 2018 Dashboard reports 15 new cases today. That makes 53 so far in this epidemiological week, and a total since the outbreak began of 1,317.

Out of 11,300 contacts, 9,500 are being traced. 

 

And this in addition to the attack on the hospital in Butembo. 

WHO: Ebola virus disease – DR Congo

Via ReliefWeb, WHO has published Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo: Disease outbreak news, 18 April 2019. Excerpt:

The ongoing vaccination efforts have produced some promising results this past week. On 12 April 2019, WHO and Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) published a preliminary analysis concerning the efficacy of the rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine currently utilised in this outbreak (please see full report here). The data suggested the vaccine demonstrated notable efficacy in preventing Ebola infections in vaccinated individuals compared to those who are unvaccinated. 

Between 2-4 April 2019, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) convened a meeting to review the epidemiological data and offer further recommendations to the ongoing vaccination efforts. They urged the further expansion of those eligible for vaccination to include children older than 6 months and lactating women; two populations observed to have especially high attack rates and high case fatality rates (please see here for further highlights from SAGE meeting).  

In light of the findings, WHO and partners are evolving the existing vaccination strategy on the ground. Along with intensifying contact tracing of cases and vaccinating their known immediate contacts, a greater emphasis is being placed on following up contacts of contacts and ensuring these at-risk individuals are adequately vaccinated against Ebola. 

Various approaches are being employed at this time to vaccinate people at-risk including: Site-by-site vaccinations at the places of residence and other locations previously visited by cases. Simultaneous vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers (HCW/FLW), and others at increased risk working in healthcare facilities. Pop-up vaccination, where those at risk are invited to an agreed upon location, outside their place of residence Targeted geographic vaccination of villages if contacts, and contacts of contacts, cannot be clearly ascertained due to security constraints, but are invited to a previously agreed upon site to be vaccinated. 

Through these strategies, 23 operational vaccination teams have effectively closed previously observed gaps in the vaccination rings surrounding reported cases; rings are currently pending for 10 of the 257 cases confirmed during the period between 28 March to 16 April 2019. As of 16 April, a total of 102 501 contacts and contacts of contacts have been vaccinated, of whom 29 720 were HCWs/FLWs. 

Outside of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, vaccination of frontline healthcare workers commenced in neighbouring Rwanda on 16 April 2019, with 176 HCWs/FLWs already vaccinated. It is expected that the vaccination strategy will be an effective means to slowing the spread of EVD. 

Infection prevention and control (IPC) efforts have also yielded some notable progress this past week. A revised IPC strategy with an operational work plan for February to May 2019 period has been endorsed by the Ministry of Health (MoH). The strategy and work plan are intended to guide the national coordination activities of the Ebola response’s IPC Task Force, and the implementation of activities by the IPC commissions and partners at the subnational level. 

To support this operational shift, Risk Communication and Community Engagement research initiatives are being developed to better understand transmission pathways that can be addressed by the IPC coordination activities. Additional support will be provided by collecting feedback through community dialogue on how IPC can be better implemented at the community level. 

While the EVD outbreak remains ongoing and the rise in number of cases is likely to continue in the following weeks, it should be noted that substantial progress has been made to adapt response strategies to the ever-evolving situation. Despite the multitude of challenges posed by having to mount a robust outbreak response in the demanding circumstances in which this EVD outbreak is currently taking place, WHO and partners are continuing to intensify all facets of the response efforts to curtail the further spread of EVD in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

DRC Ebola: 12 new cases today, 10 deaths (7 in community)

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 Thursday, April 18, 2019. It may be that the vaccine has kept this outbreak from exploding like West Africa, but now the response seems to be one long grind, with no end in sight. Excerpt from the Google translation:

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI 

Thursday 18 April 2019   

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease  dated April 17, 2019:   

• Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 1,302, of which 1,236 are confirmed and 66 are probable. In total, there were 843 deaths (777 confirmed and 66 probable) and 380 people healed. 

• 325 suspected cases under investigation; 

• 12 new confirmed cases, including 5 in Katwa, 3 in Mandima, 2 in Vuhovi, 1 in Kalunguta and 1 in Beni;  

• 10 new confirmed deaths, including 

º 7 community deaths, including 3 in Mandima, 2 in Vuhovi, 1 in Katwa, and 1 in Kalunguta; 

º 3 deaths at CTE, 2 in Butembo and 1 in Katwa; 

• 1 new healed from the CTE of Komanda.   

 /! \  The data presented in this table are subject to change later, after extensive investigations and after redistribution of cases and deaths in their health areas.

News of the response    

Vaccination  

• Since the beginning of vaccination on August 8, 2018, 102,505 persons have been vaccinated , including 27,022 in Katwa, 22,289 in Beni, 12,468 in Butembo, 6,616 in Mabalako, 4,350 in Mandima, 3,130 in Kalunguta, 3,070 in Goma, 2,569 in Oicha, 2,537 at Komanda, 1,845 at Vuhovi, 1,729 at Masereka, 1,649 at Kyondo, 1,630 at Kayina, 1,487 at Bunia, 1,357 at Karisimbi, 1,193 at Lubero, 1,027 at Musienene, 1,025 at Biena, 772 at Mutwanga, 690 at Rutshuru, 557 in Rwampara (Ituri), 527 in Nyankunde, 496 in Mangurujipa, 420 in Mambasa, 355 in Tchomia, 333 in Lolwa, 342 in Kirotshe, 254 in Alimbongo, 250 in Mweso, 245 in Kibirizi, 161 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.

DRC Ebola: 12 new cases today, 1,302 total

The MoH/WHO AFRO Ebola DRC KIVU 2018 Dashboard reports 12 new cases today, making it 38 for the current week so far and 1,302 since the outbreak was declared on August 1. We'll get more details in a few hours from the Ministry of Health.

DRC Ebola: 17 new cases today, 12 deaths (10 in community)

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, April 17, 2019. It has a lot of news, most of it bad, but the ministry is trying to look on the bright side of life. Excerpt from the Google translation:

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI 

Wednesday, April 17, 2019   

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease  dated April 16, 2019:   

• Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 1,290, of which 1,224 are confirmed and 66 are probable. In total, there were 833 deaths (767 confirmed and 66 probable) and 379 people cured. 

• 251 suspected cases under investigation; 

• 17 new confirmed cases, including 11 in Katwa, 4 in Butembo, and 2 in Mandima;  

• 12 new confirmed cases, including 

º 10 community deaths, including 7 in Katwa, 2 in Mandima and 1 in Butembo; 

º 2 deaths at Butembo CTE; 

• 5 new cures, including 3 from the Katwa CTE, 1 from Beni and 1 from Butembo.   

/! \  The data presented in this table are subject to change later, after extensive investigations and after redistribution of cases and deaths in their health areas.

News of the response    

Community leaders get more involved in raising awareness 

• The customary chiefs of the Beni-Lubero territory, meeting within the National Alliance of Traditional Chiefs of North Kivu in Butembo, sent a message of sensitization to the population and recommendations to the teams of the response to put an end to the Ebola outbreak at home. Taking into account the seriousness of the situation, they asked the population to dissociate themselves from anyone who minimizes the Ebola disease, and to consider that Ebola is a disease that really exists. In addition, he asked the mothers and girls, who traditionally take care of the hygiene and care of the sick at home, not to throw stones at the teams of the response.  

• Two national deputies from Ituri province, Kambale Ezechiel Barnabas and Kakule Mupopolo Floribert, carried out a 3-day mission to Biakato, in Mandima health zone, to raise awareness and ask them to collaborate with the teams of the response. This locality has experienced a significant increase in confirmed Ebola cases in recent weeks because of the difficulty of the response teams in accessing the sick as a result of community reluctance. They closed their trip with a rally on Sunday, April 14, 2019 in the presence of the administrator of the territory during which they recalled the preventive measures to respect to stop the spread of the epidemic.   

• In Lubero, the Territorial Youth Council has launched a youth engagement to end the Ebola outbreak at home. Council members have put in place measures to support the efforts of the response teams, particularly community-based surveillance and hygiene compliance in their communities.    

Glimmer of hope in Katwa and Butembo 

• A panic has blown over the Katwa and Butembo areas because of the accelerated spread of the epidemic in the community following targeted attacks against the two CTEs in the city. Rising insecurity and violence against the response teams had prevented them from carrying out essential interventions to break the chain of transmission and slow the spread of the epidemic in the community, especially contact tracing, vaccination and decontamination of households.   

• However, Dr. Jean-Paul Mundama, president of the prevention committee in Butembo, is optimistic and notes with satisfaction the lifting of resistance in the most resistant homes of the city, such as Mutsanga and Wayene. Thus, the teams begin to discover the hidden patients in the community. If all public health interventions around confirmed cases and deaths are unhindered, the chain of transmission will be broken down, the number of cases will begin to decline and the epidemic can be controlled. Although the rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in recent weeks may be worrying, the epidemic is actually concentrated in some well-defined health areas and there has been no geographical spread of the virus. The epidemic has just resumed in areas that had already been affected because of patient mobility. The main outbreaks of the epidemic remain concentrated in the health zones of Katwa, Vuhovi, Masereka and Mandima.

Vaccination

• Since the beginning of the vaccination on August 8, 2018, 101,589 people have been vaccinated , including 26,646 in Katwa, 22,179 in Beni, 12,447 in Butembo, 6,596 in Mabalako, 4,300 in Mandima, 3,080 in Kalunguta, 3,070 in Goma, 2,540 in Oicha, 2.507 to Komanda, 1.845 to Vuhovi, 1.729 to Masereka, 1.649 to Kyondo, 1.630 to Kayina, 1.487 to Bunia, 1.357 to Karisimbi, 1.193 to Lubero, 1.027 to Musienene, 1.025 to Biena, 772 to Mutwanga, 690 to Rutshuru, 557 in Rwampara (Ituri), 527 in Nyankunde, 496 in Mangurujipa, 420 in Mambasa, 355 in Tchomia, 333 in Lolwa, 342 in Kirotshe, 254 in Alimbongo, 250 in Mweso, 245 in Kibirizi, 161 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. 

DRC Ebola: 17 new cases today, 1,290 total

The MoH/WHO AFRO Ebola DRC KIVU 2018 Dashboard shows 17 new cases today, 26 so far this week, and a total of 1,290 cases since the outbreak began. The number of untraced contacts has also risen; out of 11,300 contacts only 9,500 are being tracked.

WHO: DRC Ebola External Sitrep 37

Via ReliefWeb, a WHO AFRO report: Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease - External Situation Report 37. Excerpt:

This past week saw the continued rise in the number of Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a total of 110 new confirmed cases. Documented transmission, however, remains geographically confined, with the majority of recent cases reported from the health zones of Katwa, Mandima, Butembo, and Vuhovi. 

During the last 21 days (25 March to 14 April 2019), 55 health areas within 11 health zones reported new cases; 38% of the 144 health areas affected to date (Table 1 and Figure 2). During this period, a total of 238 confirmed and probable cases were reported from Katwa (119), Vuhovi (41), Mandima (27), Beni (20), Butembo (14), Oicha (7), Mabalako (5), Kalunguta (1), Masereka (1), Musienene (1), and Lubero (1). 

As of 14 April 2019, a total of 1264 EVD cases, including 1198 confirmed and 66 probable cases, were reported. A total of 814 deaths were reported (overall case fatality ratio 64%), including 748 deaths among confirmed cases. 

Of the 1264 confirmed and probable cases with reported age and sex, 56% (712) were female, and 28% (355) were children aged less than 18 years. The number of healthcare workers affected has risen to 89, including 32 deaths, with four new health workers confirmed in the last week; all from community health centres within hotspot areas.