WHO and UN leaders visit DRC to reach a total of 300



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Over the weekend and today, 13 new cases and 5 other Ebola deaths have been reported in the outbreak of the three-month-long virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (DRC) in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.

All cases except one come from Butembo and Beni, hot spots of the virus. Two of the new cases, a young mother and her two-week-old child, were diagnosed in Beni and then transferred to an Ebola treatment center in Mabalako at the request of the family. Another patient is from Kalunguta.

The total of the epidemic now stands at 300 cases (265 confirmed, 35 probable), including 186 deaths. In addition, 41 suspected cases are still under investigation.

The epidemic, the tenth of the country, is the third largest. This began in Mabalako in early August, just weeks after the DRC declared the end of a new Ebola outbreak in the western part of the country. This epidemic ended quickly when Merck's experimental vaccine was used in a ring vaccination program targeting contact with cases and contacts with contacts.

The current epidemic has been marked by outbreaks of viruses and violence in the affected region, hampering response and vaccination efforts.

WHO and UN leaders visit the epidemic zone

Today, the leaders of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) have arrived in the DRC to verify the efforts made in the event of an epidemic.

Peter Salama, MD, Director General for Emergency Preparedness and Response to the WHO, announced on Twitter that he would arrive today in the DRC with the Director General of the WHO. WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, and Deputy Secretary General Jean-Pierre Lacroix. for United Nations peacekeeping forces.

"We look forward to seeing our teams again and hearing the other support they need for #Ebola's response, so proud of their hard work in the toughest conditions," Salama tweeted.

Last week, the United Nations ordered all armed rebel armed forces in the DRC to allow health workers and officials to enter the zone of epidemics, which was the scene of violent clashes between dozens of groups policies, many of which oppose the response efforts.

Uganda approves vaccine use among health care workers

Ainebyoona Emmanuel, head of the reorganization of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, said on Twitter that Uganda had officially approved the use of the vaccine for health workers, as reported last week. .

He added that the health workers who will carry out the vaccination are being retrained today and tomorrow and that the first injections will take place on November 7th.

Although there has not been so far in Uganda, there have been several fears and the country is preparing for the worst. The provinces of North Kivu and Ituri are bordering Uganda and more than one million refugees live in communities that straddle the border.

In the DRC, a total of 26,463 people have been vaccinated against the virus, including 14,033 in Beni, 4,436 in Mabalako, 2,152 in Katwa, 1,663 in Mandima and 1,435 in Butembo.

See also:

November 3rd update of the DRC

November 4th update of the DRC

November 5th update of the DRC

Peter Salama Twitter Account

Ainebyoona Emmanuel Twitter Account

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