In a follow-up on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a World Health Organization (WHO) report states from 4 April through 9 May 2018, a total of 32 Ebola virus disease cases (among which two are confirmed, 18 probable and 12 suspected cases) were reported from Bikoro health zone, Equateur province, including 18 deaths.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

Three of the 32 cases were among healthcare workers.

The patients presented with fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, myalgia and arthralgia, and some also showed hemorrhagic signs and symptoms. All cases were reported from the catchment area of the Ikoko-Impenge health facility, located 30 km from the central health zone office of Bikoro, which is 280 km by road from Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur province. Of the 21 initially reported cases on 8 May 2018, 17 had epidemiological links (potential contacts with another suspect case).

Five samples were collected from hospitalized patients, three from Ikoko-Impenge and two from Bikoro. These were sent to Institute National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa on 7 May 2018, where the two samples from Ikoko-Impenge were found positive by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for Ebola virus on the same day.

Over the last four decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced eight Ebola outbreaks. The most recent epidemic took place in May 2017 in the health zone of Likati, province of Bas-Uele. The ongoing epidemic is located in the Bikoro health zone, located in Equateur province, in western Democratic Republic of the Congo and on the border with the Republic of Congo. This is the fourth time that an Ebola outbreak has been reported in the former province of Equateur, following those of 1976, 1977 and 2014. However, this is the first time that the Bikoro health zone is facing an Ebola outbreak.

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