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The 10th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been declared unabated, despite all efforts. It is now considered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
26 health zones are now affected, including Goma, a city of around 2 million people bordering Rwanda. Over the last week, 86 new confirmed cases and 57 new confirmed deaths brought the total number of EVD cases to 2,698, out of which 1,813 have died (total Case Fatality Rate of 67%).
An approach of inclusiveness, proximity and empathy to affected communities is crucial to the success of any response plan. The answer must acknowledge the extreme fragility of the population arising from 20 years of conflict.
Meanwhile, DRC continues to face severe humanitarian crises, exacerbated by the Ebola epidemic in some areas. DRC is considered to be the second largest food crisis in the world. The number of people experiencing food insecurity has doubled since 2017, reaching more than 13 million people. The number of children at risk of acute malnutrition has increased from 4 million in 2016 to 5.3 million in 2019, including 1.3 million severely malnourished. It is estimated that there are over 5 million internally displaced people (IDPs), although it is difficult to calculate as populations are constantly moving, fleeing from conflict and insecurity.
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