H5N1

WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo declares new Ebola outbreak in northwest province

A news release from WHO AFRO: Democratic Republic of Congo declares new Ebola outbreak in North West Province.

Brazzaville/Kinshasa, April 23, 2022 – Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared an Ebola outbreak today after the confirmation of a case in Mbandaka, capital of Equateur province (north -west). This is the third outbreak in this province since 2018.  

So far, only one case has been confirmed. The patient, a 31-year-old man, began experiencing symptoms on April 5 and after more than a week of home care, he sought treatment at a local health facility. On April 21, the patient was admitted to an Ebola treatment center for intensive care but died later that night. After recognizing the symptoms, health workers immediately took samples for laboratory testing for Ebola virus disease. Investigations to determine the source of the outbreak are ongoing.  

“Time is not on our side,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. “The disease has taken a two-week head start and we are now playing catch-up. The good news is that health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have more experience than anyone else in the world in rapidly controlling Ebola outbreaks."  

The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing its fourteenth Ebola outbreak since 1976. The current outbreak is the sixth since 2018 alone, the most frequent event in the country's Ebola history. In Equateur province, previous outbreaks date back to 2020 and 2018, with 130 and 54 cases recorded respectively.  

Efforts to stem the current outbreak are already underway. The deceased patient received a dignified and safe burial, which involves modifying traditional funeral ceremonies in ways that minimize the risk of contagious fluids infecting attendees.   

Anyone who has been in contact with the patient is also identified and their state of health will be monitored. The health facility where the patient received care has been decontaminated.  

WHO experts based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are supporting national authorities to strengthen key areas of outbreak response, including testing, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, treatment, as well as risk communication and engagement with communities to support public health measures to prevent infections.  

Vaccination should start in the next few days. The country already has stocks of rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine available in the cities of Goma and Kinshasa. The vaccines will be sent to Mbandaka and administered using the "ring vaccination" strategy - where contacts and contacts of contacts will be vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus and protect lives.  

"Many people in Mbandaka are already vaccinated against Ebola, which should help reduce the impact of the disease," said Dr Moeti. "All those who were vaccinated during the 2020 epidemic will be revaccinated."  

Ebola is a potentially deadly disease, affecting humans and other primates. Case fatality rates have ranged from 25% to 90% in past epidemics. Effective treatment now exists and if patients receive early treatment, as well as supportive care, their chances of survival improve dramatically.

New Ebola case confirmed in northwestern Congo, lab report says

Via Reuters, more bad news: New Ebola case confirmed in northwestern Congo, lab report says.

KINSHASA, April 23 (Reuters) - A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, the National Institute of Biomedical Research said on Saturday, four months after the end of the country's last outbreak.  

The case, a 31-year old male, was detected in the city of Mbandaka, capital of Congo's Equateur province, the institute said. A health ministry spokesperson confirmed the discovery.  

The patient began showing symptoms on April 5, but did not seek treatment for more than a week. He was admitted to an Ebola treatment centre on April 21 and died later that day, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement.

“Time is not on our side,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Regional Director for Africa. “The disease has had a two-week head start and we are now playing catch-up."  

Mbandaka, a crowded trading hub on the banks of the Congo River, has contended with two previous outbreaks -- in 2018 and in 2020. It is a city where people live in close proximity, with road, water and air links to the capital Kinshasa.

The WHO said that efforts to contain the disease are already underway in Mbandaka, and that a vaccination campaign will begin in the coming days.  

Congo has seen 13 previous outbreaks of Ebola, including one in 2018-2020 in the east that killed nearly 2,300 people, the second highest toll recorded in the history of the hemorrhagic fever.  

The last outbreak, also in the east, infected 11 people between October and December and killed six of them. read more

DR Congo: Ebola cases rise to 5

Via Noticias SIN, an EFE report: Ebola cases in DR Congo rise to 5. I haven't been able to find the story in any of the Congolese media that usually cover Ebola. Excerpt from the Google translation:

With the confirmation today of three new cases of Ebola, there are already five detected in the new outbreak that emerged in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), three of people who have died, confirmed today to Efe the national coordinator of the response to the epidemic, Steve Ahuka.

"We confirmed the existence of these three cases in the health area of ​​the Beni (territory), which brings the number of registered cases to a total of five," Ahuka revealed this Sunday in a telephone conversation.

Among the three new cases detected are a 32-year-old woman - who began to have symptoms on October 15 - and a 41-year-old man, who was a contact for the third case confirmed today, a three-year-old girl who began to experience fever. last October 12 and passed away at dawn this Saturday.

The man and the woman remain admitted to the Ebola treatment center in the Butsili area, in Beni, in the northeastern province of North Kivu, where a new case was confirmed on October 8 that marked the outbreak of this disease. in the country, after the end of the last epidemic was declared last May.

According to the Congolese Minister of Health, Jean-Jacques Mbungani, that first case involved "a three-year-old male hospitalized and died on October 6."

Likewise, according to the WHO, at least three relatives of the minor who also resided in Butsili, died during the month of September with symptoms typical of Ebola.

On October 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a second case, also from a deceased patient, without offering further details.

The DRC launched the immunization campaign last Wednesday and 14 people were vaccinated during the first day, while, until that date, at least 220 contacts whose health status is being monitored had already been identified, according to the WHO reported last Thursday.

"The initial genomic sequencing indicates that the new cases probably represent a new outbreak of the Ebola epidemic of 2018-2020, most likely transmitted by a persistently infected survivor or by a survivor who experienced a relapse," he underlined in a conference. virtual press the regional director for Africa of the organization, Matshidiso Moeti.

Beni: Launch of vaccination to counter the new Ebola epidemic

Via 7sur7.cd: Beni: Launch of vaccination to counter the new Ebola epidemic. The Google translation:

The health authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and their partners in UN agencies, launched the vaccination campaign against the new Ebola epidemic on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 in Beni, North Kivu.  

The information was delivered to the press by the chief medical officer of the Beni health zone, Doctor Michel Tosalisana, who informs that this vaccination primarily concerns people who were in contact with the first two cases detected since the resurgence of disease.  

Response teams are also already at work and humanitarian partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are deploying to cut the chain of the disease.  

About a thousand doses of vaccine have been deployed in North Kivu province along with other pharmaceuticals to support the response.  

To date, more than 170 contact cases have been identified since the reappearance of the disease on October 8.  

Two cases have already been confirmed, including a second recorded last Wednesday. The two victims are all already deceased and health authorities say surveillance is stepping up to prevent another disaster, such as the one experienced between 2018 and 2019.

DRC-Ebola: More on the second case

Via Actualite.cd: DRC-Ebola: a second confirmed case, the Beni health zone calls on residents to refrain from handling the remains. The Google translation:

A second case of the new Ebola epidemic was confirmed this Thursday, October 14 by the health authorities of the city of Beni. According to the chief medical officer of the Beni health zone, the victim is a woman who died last Wednesday as a result of the epidemic. She was in contact with the first case of this epidemic declared on October 8 in the Butsili health area of ​​Beni.

“We recorded yet another case, a second case since yesterday (Wednesday). This means that the teams have stepped up their surveillance by listing and following up on contacts. A follow-up contact, when he develops the signs, he is quickly sent to specialized care structures, therefore to the CTE (Ebola Treatment Center). There, he will benefit from a sample, and it is the laboratory which will specify the diagnosis in relation to the recorded case,” indicated Doctor Michel Tosalisana, chief medical officer of the Beni health zone.  

The health authority asks residents to refrain from handling the remains during this period of the epidemic.  

“I remind you that in this critical period when we are dealing with the coronavirus and the Ebola virus disease, the management of a lifeless body is a peculiarity. We ask the population to observe the recommendations of the dignified and secure burial teams. There will be some in the health areas, in the neighborhoods. These are the teams that will help us manage the bodies. We ask our people to avoid handling lifeless bodies. They are our fellow human beings, we will treat them with dignity. But in this particular time, it is the dignified and secure burial teams that must manage them. Any lifeless body must benefit from a levy which will determine the sequence of the funeral,” he advises.  

It was since October 8 that this new Ebola epidemic was declared in the city of Beni, just five months after the end of the twelfth epidemic which lasted three months in the neighboring region of Lubero.  

On Wednesday October 13, the authorities launched the vaccination of contacts previously listed for this new epidemic.

Ebola in Beni: A second recorded death

Via Radio Okapi: Ebola in Beni: a second recorded death. The story is a little unclear about the link of this woman's case to the first. Is the two-year-old one of the untested children who died, or the tested three-year-old who was the first confirmed case in this outbreak? The Google translation:

A second death caused by the Ebola virus disease was recorded Wednesday, October 13 in the health zone of Beni, after the reappearance of the disease on October 8, according to the coordinator of the response against Ebola.   

This time it is a 42-year-old woman with an epidemiological and family link with the first case of death, a two-year-old child, recorded on October 6.  

The vaccination campaign against Ebola was launched Wednesday, October 13 in several districts of the city of Beni, in particular in Butsili, where a first case of the disease was recorded.  

People at risk are vaccinated first, including contacts of the first confirmed case, in order to stem the spread of the virus.

Second Ebola case confirmed in eastern Congo, health official says

Via Reuters: Second Ebola case confirmed in eastern Congo, health official says.

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct 14 (Reuters) - A second case of Ebola has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a health official said on Thursday, a week after a young boy died of the disease, raising fears of another outbreak.

A 42-year-old woman tested positive in the city of Beni on Wednesday, the same day that medics began an Ebola vaccination campaign there, city health official Michel Tosalisana said.  

"So far there have been more than 170 contacts listed around the first case, and with the confirmation of the second case, the listing of contacts will continue," Tosalisana told Reuters.  

Beni was an epicentre of the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak that killed more than 2,200 people and infected more than 1,000 others. The most recent confirmed flare-up of the deadly virus ended in May after killing six people.

The World Health Organization said three people from the same neighbourhood of Beni died in September after experiencing symptomsassociated with Ebola, which can include severe vomiting, haemorrhaging and diarrhoea.  

It is not yet clear whether the latest cases are linked to previous outbreaks, health officials have said.

Ebola in Beni: The mayor invites the population to be vaccinated "immediately"

Via Radio Okapi: Ebola in Beni: the mayor invites the population to be vaccinated "immediately." The Google translation:

The mayor of Beni (North Kivu), senior chief commissioner Narcisse Kashale Muteba, calls on the population of his jurisdiction to be vaccinated "immediately", once in contact with the Ebola virus disease. In his message to the population on Tuesday, October 12, he also asked all residents to receive and facilitate the work of health actors who come to stop the spread of this disease.    

"Anyone who acknowledges having been in contact with the confirmed Ebola patient agrees to be vaccinated as soon as possible and to be followed for 21 days," said Senior Senior Commissioner Narcisse Muteba.     

The urban authority also calls for the respect of barrier measures.    

"The city of Beni is not its first experience of living the Ebola epidemic, I am convinced that each of us will be able to fulfill our duty, that of contributing by all means in order to immediately stop the spread of this disease," indicated the mayor of Beni.    

The Ebola virus epidemic has resurfaced in the Beni health zone since October 8. The previous Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province was declared on February 7, with 12 cases, including six deaths, and its declared end, three months later, on May 3.  

North Kivu: Civil society and the Ebola response support committee mobilize the population of Beni

No new cases to report, but Radio Okapi says the local government is bracing for difficulties: North Kivu: civil society and the Ebola response support committee mobilize the population of Beni. Excerpt from the Google translation:

The provincial coordination of civil society in North Kivu invites the population not to give in to “rumors and poisoning”, in order to avoid a health disaster due to Ebola as was the case during the tenth epidemic in the area. For its part, the Ebola response support committee insists on the “community involvement” of the local population.    

The vice-president of the provincial coordination of civil society, Edgard Mateso, asks the population of Beni to no longer put up resistance to the teams fighting against Ebola:   

“We would like to appeal to the local community to abandon this strategy of resisting against the teams that come to help us. That the community beware of intox, bad information which is sometimes distilled by politicians, leaders or even by ill-intentioned people who, sometimes, confuse the population.   

"We still remember the horrors of the tenth epidemic, we lost more than 2,700 people during this epidemic. We already have expertise that is up to the situation. If we capitalize on knowledge and experience, there is hope.”     

From the Congolese government, Edgard Mateso calls for the mobilization of resources to stop the spread of this 13th Ebola epidemic in the DRC.   

“On the government side, we believe that it is urgent to mobilize human resources, financial resources and material resources. But also we would have liked the government to have recourse to local expertise, because sometimes when we bring in people who do not master the habits and customs of the region, it creates resistance, ”he added.  

DR Congo: Ebola resurfaces in North Kivu

Via 7sur7.cd: DR Congo: Ebola resurfaces in North Kivu. The Google translation:

The Minister of Health, in a statement made this Friday, October 8, 2021, announced the resurgence of the Ebola epidemic in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   

According to Dr. Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda, this is a case that has been identified in the territory of Beni in North Kivu.   

"The Democratic Republic of Congo, our country has just recorded a new case of Ebola virus on October 8, 2021. This new resurgence of the Ebola virus in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has occurred in the health zone of Beni, territory of Beni in the province of North Kivu," indicated the Minister of Health.  

In the process, the Minister of Health specifies that this case concerns a 3-year-old male child hospitalized and died on October 6 in a local health establishment in a hemorrhagic picture following which a sample was taken the next day by the Beni civil protection team.  

"The sample sent to Goma for analysis was found to be positive for the Ebola virus," added the Minister of Health.  

According to Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda, the teams of the Provincial Health Division and the health zone are already hard at work in the field to carry out response activities, in particular the listing and follow-up of around 100 contacts to date and the decontamination of health facilities.  

"Thanks to the experience acquired in the management of the Ebola virus disease during previous epidemics, we are assured that the response teams in the province, supported by the central administration, will be able to control this epidemic as soon as possible," reassured the Minister of Health.  

As a reminder, in May of the current year the Democratic Republic of the Congo officially declared the end of the 12th epidemic of the Ebola virus disease. It was almost 3 months after its resurgence in the province of North Kivu.

I don't find anything about this on the website of Radio Butembo-Beni, which is right in the region, and Actualite has a report claiming the case is a man in his 20s with no current details. But Reuters has a good report with some additional information. I'll keep checking.