The country has recorded fourteen Ebola epidemics since 1976, including six since 2018.
Phew of relief from the health authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)!
This Central African country declared, on Monday, July 4, 2022, the end of the latest Ebola epidemic that began less than three months ago in Mbandaka, the capital of the Equateur Province (Northwest).
This was the third outbreak in the province since 2018 and the 14th in the country, reports the World Health Organization (WHO).
With greater experience in controlling Ebola, national emergency teams supported by WHO and its partners implemented a rapid response as soon as the outbreak was declared on April 23, 2022.
“In all, there have been four confirmed cases and one probable case, all of whom have died. In the previous outbreak in Equator Province, which lasted from June to November 2020, there were 130 confirmed cases and 55 deaths,” WHO says.
“Thanks to a strong response from national authorities, this outbreak was quickly ended with limited transmission of the virus,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa.
“Key lessons have been learned from previous outbreaks and have been put into practice to design and deploy an even more effective Ebola response” Moeti added.
The recently concluded outbreak saw a total of 2,104 people vaccinated, including 302 contact persons 1,307 frontline workers.
To facilitate the vaccination rollout, an ultra-low temperature cold chain refrigerator was installed in Mbandaka, allowing the vaccine doses to be stored locally and safely, as well as made available efficiently.
According to Dr. Moeti, Africa is experiencing an increase in cases of Ebola and other infectious diseases that are moving from animals to humans and affecting large urban areas.
“We need to be even more vigilant to ensure we detect cases early. The response to this outbreak shows that by strengthening preparedness, surveillance and early case detection, we can stay ahead of the curve,” she pointed out.
Although the outbreak has been declared over in Mbandaka, health authorities are continuing surveillance activities and are ready to respond quickly to any outbreaks.
It is not uncommon for sporadic cases to emerge following an outbreak.
TE/cgd/lb/as/APA