Ebola rages on in DRC
A new report from the World Health Organization states that the Ministry of Health (MoH), WHO and partners continue to respond to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The report said that relatively high numbers of cases were reported in recent weeks, mostly driven by the outbreak in Katwa Health Zone, which is the current focus of large-scale response activities. Although smaller clusters continue to be reported beyond Katwa Health Zone, the report states that teams have quickly and systematically responded to these clusters to prevent onward transmission and guard against further geographical expansion of the outbreak.
Now approaching six months since the outbreak was declared, there have been a total of 752 EVD cases (698 confirmed and 54 probable) reported, including 465 deaths as of 29 January, according to WHO. In addition, it said that 118 new cases have been reported during the last 21 days. According to the report, although outbreak risk remains high at the national and regional levels, the global risk level remains low.
Although WHO has advised against any restriction of travel to the DRC, it said that travellers should seek medical advice before travel and practice good hygiene.