contents area
Public Health Weekly Report
detail content area
Review of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Date2019-05-23 20:31
- Update2019-11-19 19:10
- DivisionDivision of Strategic Planning for Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Tel043-719-7271
Review of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Shin Een Suk, Lee Seon Kui
Division of Risk Assessment & International Cooperation, Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, KCDC
The 10th Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been on the way for 10 months since its official declaration on August 1, 2018. As of April 30, 2019, there has been a total of 1,495 cases across 21 health districts in the northeastern provinces of Kivu and Ituri. The current outbreak exhibits a high case fatality rate of 65.8%, with 1,429 confirmed cases and 984 deaths among the total cases. The current outbreak is the second largest Ebola outbreak in the world since the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Cases have mainly occurred in the Katwa, Butembo, and Vuhovi regions of North Kivu, a province that borders Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, and where many refugees have been displaced to due to violence and frequent riots. With refugees moving toward border areas, the risk of Ebola virus spreading to neighboring countries increased. Despite response efforts, community resistance, inadequate infection prevention and control (IPC) at primary medical institutions, poor contact tracking and early detection, and isolation delays have contributed to the continuous increase in EVD cases. Another major contributing factor is the close contact of family and relatives with the bodies of deceased victims during traditional funeral practices. World Health Organization (WHO) and health authorities have been working to improve funeral customs and have formed an IPC team to strengthen IPC activities in affected areas. On April 17, 2019, WHO convened an emergency committee to discuss whether the current Ebola outbreak in DR Congo should be declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. According to the risk assessment by WHO, the transmission risk of EVD in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries is very high, and the global risk is low.
Keywords: Ebola, Ebolavirus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, World Health Organization, North Kivu, Katwa, Disease outbreaks, Risk assessment
Shin Een Suk, Lee Seon Kui
Division of Risk Assessment & International Cooperation, Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, KCDC
The 10th Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been on the way for 10 months since its official declaration on August 1, 2018. As of April 30, 2019, there has been a total of 1,495 cases across 21 health districts in the northeastern provinces of Kivu and Ituri. The current outbreak exhibits a high case fatality rate of 65.8%, with 1,429 confirmed cases and 984 deaths among the total cases. The current outbreak is the second largest Ebola outbreak in the world since the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa. Cases have mainly occurred in the Katwa, Butembo, and Vuhovi regions of North Kivu, a province that borders Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, and where many refugees have been displaced to due to violence and frequent riots. With refugees moving toward border areas, the risk of Ebola virus spreading to neighboring countries increased. Despite response efforts, community resistance, inadequate infection prevention and control (IPC) at primary medical institutions, poor contact tracking and early detection, and isolation delays have contributed to the continuous increase in EVD cases. Another major contributing factor is the close contact of family and relatives with the bodies of deceased victims during traditional funeral practices. World Health Organization (WHO) and health authorities have been working to improve funeral customs and have formed an IPC team to strengthen IPC activities in affected areas. On April 17, 2019, WHO convened an emergency committee to discuss whether the current Ebola outbreak in DR Congo should be declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. According to the risk assessment by WHO, the transmission risk of EVD in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries is very high, and the global risk is low.
Keywords: Ebola, Ebolavirus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, World Health Organization, North Kivu, Katwa, Disease outbreaks, Risk assessment
This public work may be used under the terms of the public interest source + commercial use prohibition + nonrepudiation conditions