The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains active. As of the latest update, there have been 7,820 cases and 3,779 deaths recorded nationwide. The outbreak has affected 63 health zones across seven provinces.
According to Wessam Mankoula, regional director at the Northern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, Africa CDC, the outbreak has plateaued over the past five weeks. This is partly due to declining cases in Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak in DRC, and surrounding areas. However, he cautioned against interpreting the decline as evidence that the outbreak was under control.
The outbreak has affected 49 health zones that are still in the active phase and continuing to report cases across the DRC during response operations. Eight health zones have entered the sustained controlled phase, while six others were in the controlled phase after reporting no cases for specified periods under routine monitoring.
Mr Mankoula noted that some provinces were still recording upward trends in several affected provinces. In Ituri, cases declined by 25 per cent during the latest three-week period, while deaths dropped by 31 per cent compared with the previous three weeks. However, North Kivu recorded a different trend, with cases increasing by 56 per cent and deaths rising by 19 per cent during the same three-week period.
North Kivu also recorded the highest case-fatality ratio of about 60.5 per cent, compared with the national average of approximately 48 per cent during the outbreak period. Mr Mankoula attributed the situation partly to insecurity and limited access to affected communities, which were making active case searches and contact tracing increasingly difficult for health workers in affected areas.
Children below five years are among the most affected groups, prompting collaboration with UNICEF to strengthen case management for paediatric patients in affected areas in the region as needed. Community transmission remains a major concern, with about 65 per cent of reported cases occurring within communities, requiring stronger engagement and deployment of community health workers across affected communities.
The Africa CDC has expanded laboratory capacity, with 24 laboratories now able to conduct more than 3,400 tests daily across affected areas in the affected region. Additional laboratory equipment and more than 100,000 test kits have been provided to strengthen testing in affected and neighbouring areas across the region, supporting response efforts.
Key points
- The Ebola outbreak in DRC has recorded 7,820 cases and 3,779 deaths nationwide.
- The outbreak has plateaued over the past five weeks, but some provinces are still recording upward trends.
- Community transmission remains a major concern, with about 65 per cent of reported cases occurring within communities.
