Ebola Outbreak in the DRC Continues

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ph.D., the director general for World Health Organization (WHO), said on March 14, 2019, the spread of the Ebola Zaire virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been contained, in 11 of the 28 impacted communities. 

The Butembo and Katwa areas remain the Ebola outbreak hotspots, with Katwa accounting for more than half of all new cases in the last 20 days. 

Of the 867 confirmed Ebola cases, 258 of them are in Katwa, as are 11 of the 65 probable cases. 

There are now 587 fatalities, the DR Congo’s Ministry of Health said Thursday, with 182 of them in Katwa. Overall cases have reached 932, with 867 confirmed and 65 probable. 

“Security remains our number one concern,” Dr. Tedros said during a press conference in Geneva. 

“The attacks on Ebola treatment centers are not attacks by the community, but on the community, by armed groups including Mai Mai and ADF.” 

“These attacks could reverse the gains we have made.” 

There are 74 health workers infected with Ebola to date, among them 26 fatalities, according to the most recent update from WHO. 

More than 87,900 people have received the approved Merck v920 (rVSV-ZEBOV) experimental vaccine, with more than 20,700 of them in Beni and 22,000 in Katwa. 

Merck's V920 (rVSV-ZEBOV) was approved for use in the DRC during August 2018. 

On February 20, 2019, the v920 vaccine was authorized for pregnant and lactating women in the DRC. 

And, on March 6, 2019, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded its Level 2 Travel Alert regarding the Ebola Zaire outbreak in the DRC. 

This expanded Travel Alert, Practice Enhanced Precautions, says ‘travelers to the DRC could be infected with Ebola if they come into contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids. 

Additionally, travelers leaving the Ebola outbreak area may be subject to travel restrictions or monitoring by ministries of health in other countries and should check in advance for any requirements. 

Moreover, any person with possible exposure or Ebola-like symptoms will not be allowed to travel, unless the travel is part of a coordinated medical evacuation. 

The CDC issued its initial Travel Alert regarding the DRC’s Ebola outbreak on August 8, 2018.