Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo

No new cases of the current outbreak of Ebola virus (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since February 17, 2020 have been reported (Figure 1). However, due to the challenges posed by persistent insecurity and displacement of the population in the former hotspots, limited access to some affected communities and the potential lack of resources in other local and global emergencies, there remains a high risk of virus recurrence. It is therefore extremely important to maintain surveillance and response operations during the period leading up to the declaration of the end of the epidemic as well as after the declaration – as stated in The WHO recommended criteria for declaring the end of the EVD epidemic.

Active epidemic response activities continue, which include examining and confirming new alert cases, supporting appropriate care and prompt diagnosis of suspected cases (still being discovered), survivor support through a multidisciplinary program and strategic transition activities. From March 18 to March 24, an average of 4,619 warnings were reported and investigated. Of these warnings, 358 were confirmed as suspected cases, which required specialized care and laboratory testing to rule out EVD. From March 16 to March 22, 2747 samples were tested, including: 1479 blood samples from live, suspected cases; 374 community death swabs; and 894 samples of retested patients. Overall, laboratory activity was conducted at similar levels compared to the previous week.

Last week, nine historical probable cases were confirmed with symptom dates between October 2018 and July 2019, bringing the cumulative number of probable cases to 143. Further historical probable cases are expected to be confirmed as investigations into past cases continue.

As of March 24, 2020, a total of 3453 EVD cases were reported from 29 health zones (Table 1), including 3310 confirmed and 143 probable cases, of which 2273 cases (66% overall mortality rate). Of the total confirmed and probable cases, 57% (n= 1935) were women, 29% (n= 979) were children under the age of 18 and 5% (n= 171) were healthcare professionals.

WHO has not received Ebola response funding since December 2019. An urgent injection of US $ 20 million is required to ensure response teams are able to maintain an adequate level of operations until early May 2020. If no new resources are received, WHO risks that they would spend the Ebola response funds before the end of the epidemic. See this for more information statement.

Figure 1: Confirmed and probable cases of Ebola disease by weeks of onset of disease by health field. Data as of March 24, 2020 *

* Excludes n= 149 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 zones” means health zones that have not reported new cases in the last 42 days.

Table 1: Confirmed and probable cases of Ebola disease and number of health areas affected by the health zone, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, data as of March 24, 2020 **

** Total cases and areas affected during the last 21 days are based on the initial date of the case and may differ from the date of confirmation and daily reporting by 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.

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: