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The Ebola outbreak continues with moderate intensity. Katwa and Butembo remain the main health zones of concern, while at the same time small clusters continue to form in various geographically dispersed locations. During the last 21 days (30 January to 19 February 2019), 79 new cases were reported in 40 health zones spread over 12 zones (Figure 1), including: Katwa (46), Butembo (15), Kyondo (4) ), Vuhovi (4), Kalunguta (2), Oicha (2), Biena (1), Mabalako (1), Manguredjipa (1), Masereka (1), Mutwanga (1) and Rwampara (1) .1
No new cases have been reported in Beni in the last three weeks. This is an important achievement given the intensity of the epidemic in this region. Elsewhere, trends in the incidence of cases (Figure 2) have been encouraging; However, other indicators (such as the still high proportion of deaths in the community, persistent delays in case detection, documented local travel among many cases and relatively small number of cases among monitored contacts) suggest a high risk of new chains of transmission among those affected. communities. Intervention teams need to maintain a high degree of vigilance in all areas where case finding and contacts are declining, as in active case areas, to quickly detect new cases and cases. prevent further transmission.
As of February 19, 848 cases of EVD2 (783 confirmed and 65 probable) were reported, of which 7% (485) were women and 30% (258) were children under 18 years of age. Cumulatively, cases have been reported in 119 of the 301 health zones in 19 health zones. Ongoing cleaning of the case databases last week, corrected for the number of deaths and survivors left Ebola treatment centers to date; A total of 529 deaths (CFR: 62%) and 257 survivors have been reported to date.
To complement the ongoing response activities, the Ministry of Health is establishing a strategic coordination center in Goma. The new center will support coordination and monitoring of operations in close collaboration with sub-coordination teams working in all affected areas. The establishment of the strategic coordination center in Goma will not affect the response capacity in the field, as WHO and its partners continue to conduct large-scale operations in Beni, Butembo and Bunia, as well as a strong presence in all affected health areas, ensure the efficiency of field operations.
Public health response
For more detailed information on public health actions carried out by the Ministry of Health, WHO and its partners, please refer to the latest situation reports published by the WHO Regional Office. for Africa:
Ebola Situation Reports: Democratic Republic of the Congo
WHO risk badessment
The WHO constantly monitors the evolution of the epidemiological situation and the context of the epidemic to ensure that support for the response is adapted to the evolution of the epidemic. the situation. National and regional risk levels remain very high, although global risk levels remain low. This epidemic of Ebola virus disease mainly affects the provinces of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo bordering Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan. There is a potential risk of Ebola transmission at the national and regional levels due to significant displacement between affected areas, the rest of the country and neighboring countries for economic and personal reasons, as well as due to 39; insecurity. The country is simultaneously experiencing other epidemics (eg cholera, vaccine-derived poliomyelitis, malaria, measles) and a long-term humanitarian crisis. In addition, the fragile security situation in North Kivu and Ituri further limits the implementation of response activities.
As the risk of national and regional spread is very high, it is important that provinces and neighboring countries strengthen their monitoring and preparedness activities. The Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) indicated that failure to intensify these preparedness and monitoring activities would lead to a deterioration of the situation and its spread. WHO will continue to work with neighboring countries and partners to ensure that health authorities are alerted and ready to respond from an operational point of view.
Council of the WHO
International traffic: WHO recommends not restricting travel and trade with the Democratic Republic of the Congo based on currently available information. There is currently no licensed vaccine to protect people from the Ebola virus. Therefore, the requirements for Ebola vaccination certificates do not provide a reasonable basis for restricting cross-border movement or issuing of visas to pbadengers leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO continues to monitor and, if necessary, verify the travel and trade measures related to this event. At present, no country has implemented any displacement measures that significantly impede international traffic to and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Travelers should consult a doctor before traveling and should adopt good hygiene.
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