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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faced another setback in its fight to contain the Ebola epidemic last Friday night when a MONUSCO base in Boikene district in Beni was attacked by an armed group.
Over the weekend and up to today, the DRC has registered 21 new cases of Ebola, for a total of 373 cases, including 216 deaths. Seventy-two cases are suspected and under investigation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has evacuated 16 people after their home was hit by a shell that did not explode. Ebola surveillance and vaccination efforts have been stalled in Beni for at least 24 hours.
According to the DRC Ministry of Health, the clashes lasted several hours and took place a few meters from the Ebola emergency operations center and hotels housing several intervention teams.
"Vaccination has been suspended and the operations center has been closed, but teams have always been in the communities to follow up on some potential case alerts, meet with contacts, make sure they are there. are doing well and bringing the patients to treatment centers.The centers, run by partners, have remained operational, "said WHO.
Beni is the epicenter of the current Ebola outbreak in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, which has lasted for more than four months and which is to date the most important Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The area affected by the epidemic includes the most unstable region of the DRC, home to more than one million refugees and dozens of militias.
The DRC reassures its commitment
The DRC Ministry of Health has reassured the population over the weekend and today that today, despite the evacuation, efforts to end the life of the DRC have come to an end. epidemic in North Kivu continues.
"The field activities in Beni did not take place normally at the beginning of the day on Saturday, November 17. After assessing the security situation, all activities in the field, with the exception vaccination, were able to resume their activity at rest on Saturday afternoon, "said the DRC Ministry of Health. on Sunday.
Today, Ndjoloko Tambwe Bathe, MD, coordinator of the DRC response efforts, gave a press briefing to Beni. He added that there were more than 900 health workers in the city, including 191 agents and consultants from WHO.
The DRC said the vaccination had resumed Sunday and that so far 32,108 people have been vaccinated with the unlicensed vaccine against Ebola of Merck, including 15,962 in Beni.
The epidemic is developing in Kalunguta
Bathe also addressed recent cases in Kalunguta, a health district located in one of the DRC's red security zones. He explained that the Ebola virus had spread in the region by a confirmed case of Beni who had escaped surveillance in that city. Bathe said the community was adapted to health workers and more than 800 people had been vaccinated.
At least 2 of the 21 new cases recorded this weekend took place in Kalunguta.
In the weekend updates, the DRC Ministry of Health's efforts to clean up the Ebola case database were continuing.
See also:
November 17 update of the DRC
November 18 update of the DRC
November 19th update of the DRC
Declaration of November 17
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