By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
After some 23 months and nearly 2300 deaths, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health announced the 10th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the country is now over. The outbreak was declared on August 1, 2018.
The world’s second largest EVD outbreak, after the West Africa 2014-2016 outbreak, resulted in a total of 3,470 reported cases, including 2.287 reported deaths (overall case fatality ratio 66%). 3 provinces were affected: North and South Kivu and Ituri. This was the first EVD outbreak to occur in an area affected by ongoing conflict, which seriously hindered the response.
According to UNICEF, children made up around 28 per cent of all cases, compared to about 20 per cent in previous epidemics.
With the end of the 10th EVD outbreak, a 90-day phase of heightened EVD surveillance kicks in. The Strategic Ebola Response Plan remains valid until the end of September 2020.
The risk of re-emergence of the virus remains.
On the other side of the country Ebola resurfaced in Equateur on 1 June and has so far killed 13 people and infected 24. Genetic sequencing has shown that the outbreak is not linked to the one in the east or to the 2018 Equateur outbreak.
- CDC issues health alert over antibiotic resistant Neisseria meningitidis
- Los Angeles COVID-19 case tally tops 88K, Small increases in hospitalizations reported
- Sweden: Survey shows more than 80 percent of the population adapted due to COVID-19
- Russia COVID-19 cases near 600K, Coronavirus vaccine study starts
- Cyclospora outbreak grows in the Midwest
- Singapore dengue outbreak expected to top 2013 numbers, DENV3 presents special problems
- Retailers Recall Bagged Salads Linked to Cyclospora Bagged Salad Outbreak
- Kenya: Four Leishmaniasis deaths reported in Kitui County, Kenya
