By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews 

In a follow-up on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Friday, UN health officials reported the last Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) case in Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been discharged, starting the clock on the 42-day observation period.

outbreak
Image/CDC

Since the resurgence of the outbreak on 10 April 2020, seven confirmed cases were reported from Kasanga, Malepe and Kanzulinzuli Health Areas in Beni Health Zone.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says no additional EVD cases have been reported since late April.

WHO notes: The cluster of EVD cases that emerged in April highlights the importance of heightened vigilance for the response in the face of significant challenges around community engagement, access to affected areas, ongoing insecurity issues, and limited response capacity due to other local and global emergencies. The origin of this recent chain of transmission should continue to be investigated in order to prepare for similar events in the future. It is crucial to detect, isolate, test and treat new suspected cases as early as possible to improve the chances of survival of the people affected, and to break the chain of transmission.

Since the outbreak began in August 2018, a total of 3462 EVD cases, including 3317 confirmed and 145 probable cases have been reported. Of these, 2279 people died (overall case fatality ratio 66%).


 

Aedes aegypti mosquito