By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

As the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) attempts top wind down the nearly two-year long Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the north eastern part of the country, health officials reported today on another outbreak, the country’s 11th since 1976, in the north western province of Équateur.

The Ministry of Health reports that six Ebola cases have so far been detected in Wangata, in city of Mbandaka, of which four have died and two are alive and under care. Three of these six cases have been confirmed with laboratory testing.

The city of Mbandaka and its surrounding area were the site of Democratic Republic of the Congo’s 9th Ebola outbreak, which took place from May to July 2018.

The World Health Organization reports being on the ground in Mbandaka supporting the response to this outbreak, as part of capacity built during the 2018 outbreak. The team supported the collection and testing of samples, and reference to the national laboratory for confirmation. Contact tracing is underway. Work is ongoing to send additional supplies from North Kivu and from Kinshasa to support the government-led response. A further 25 people are expected to arrive in Mbandaka tomorrow. WHO is also working to ensure that essential health services are provided to communities despite these emergency events.