Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Over the past week, the rate of new cases of Ebola virus (EVD) has remained low (Figure 1). From February 12 to 18, one new confirmed case was reported. The case was reported in the health zone of Beni, North Kivu province and had an epidemiological link to a confirmed case reported on February 5. Since the case has been alerted and transferred to the Ebola Treatment Center four days after the onset of symptoms, there is still a risk that contact transfer may occur, and further cases from the currently active transmission chain may be expected. Ebola virus can also exist in the body fluids of some survivors for several months, and in a limited number of cases, transmissions from the body fluids of survivors have been documented during this epidemic. An ongoing program in progress helps mitigate the risk of reintroduction.

To maintain operations and prevent an epidemic from recurring, WHO requires funding. According to the Strategic Response Plan (SRP 4.1), WHO’s financial need for an Ebola response from January to June 2020 is $ 83 million. Thanks to the generosity of many donors throughout 2019, WHO has some portable funding, which is applicable to sustain operations until February 2020. Currently, $ 40 million is needed to ensure continuity of response and preparedness activities to reduce the number of cases and continue build strong, resilient health systems.

In the past 21 days (29 January to 18 February 2020), eight confirmed cases were reported from four health areas within two active health zones in North Kivu province (Figure 2, Table 1): Beni (n= 7) and Mabalako (n= 1). More than 42 days have passed since Butembo and Mambasa Health Zones reported new cases. An encouraging continued decrease in the geographical spread of EVD cases and a declining trend in the incidence of cases recorded over the past 21 days.

As of February 18, a total of 3433 EVD cases were reported, including 3310 confirmed and 123 probable cases, of which 2253 were deaths (66% overall mortality rate) (Table 1). Of the total confirmed and probable cases, 56% (n= 1924) were women, 28% (n= 969) were children under the age of 18 and 5% (n= 172) of all reported cases were healthcare professionals. Significant case-finding activities continue with more than 5,000 warnings and examinations on a daily basis, among which approximately 450 EVD suspected cases are detected daily requiring laboratory testing and specialized care within established Ebola treatment and treatment centers.

Figure 1: Confirmed and probable cases of Ebola disease by weeks of onset of disease by health field. Data from February 18, 2020 *

*3433 confirmed and probable cases, reported on February 18, 2020. Excludes n = 161 cases for which start dates have not been reported. Data in recent weeks is subject to delays in confirmation and reporting, as well as ongoing data cleanup. Inactive health zones indicate an area of ​​health that has not recorded cases in the last 42 days.

Figure 2: Confirmed and probable cases of Ebola virus disease by weeks of disease onset by health field. Data from February 18, 2020 *

Table 1: Confirmed and probable cases of Ebola virus and number of affected health areas by health zone, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, data as of 18 February 2020 **

**The total cases and areas affected during the last 21 days are based on the initial alert date of the case and may differ from the date of confirmation and daily report of the Ministry of Health.

Public health response

For further information on the public health response activities of the Ministry of Health, WHO and partners, see the latest status reports published by the WHO Regional Office for Africa:

WHO risk assessment

WHO continually monitors changes in the epidemiological situation and outbreak context to ensure that response support is adapted to evolving circumstances. The latest assessment concluded that national and regional risk levels remain high, while global risk levels remain low. This assessment acknowledged improvements in the occurrence of cases and other epidemiological indicators, as well as strengthened local and regional capacity. However, the dynamics of the epidemic depend on access to response teams in the affected areas. Continued uncertainty remains an obstacle to response efforts.

Tip of WHO

WHO advises against any restrictions on travel to and trade with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based on currently available information. All applications for Ebola vaccination certificates are not a reasonable basis for restricting movement across borders or issuing visas to travelers to / from affected countries. WHO continues to closely monitor and, if necessary, review travel and trade measures regarding this event. At present, no country has implemented travel measures that significantly impede international traffic to and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Travelers should seek medical attention before traveling and should be based on good hygiene. More information is available at WHO recommendations for international traffic related to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

For more information, see: