DR Congo: Ebola response resumes despite ‘risky environment’

WHO revealed that some 577 confirmed cases and 377 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak was declared in August last year. The UN agency also stated that 220 people have recovered and more than 56,500 have been vaccinated.

From 31 December 2018 to 2 January 2019, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus traveled to Ebola-affected areas in the DRC, where he spelled out that “Ebola responders are sacrificing a lot… to combat one of the world’s deadliest viruses in a risky environment.”

Accompanying him, Dr, Jeremy Farrar, Chair of WHO’s Research and Development Blueprint, came away “worried by the immense challenges they face in such a complex environment.”

At a glance: DRC’s continuing battle against Ebola: 

• WHO currently has 447 staff in DRC to support the response. 
• Some 37,000 contacts have been registered for tracing, with almost 5,000 under surveillance.
• Six Ebola Treatment Centers are caring for 143 inpatients – 30 confirmed cases. 
• To date, 248 patients have been treated under the MEURI protocol, an ethical framework developed by WHO, in consultation with experts and the DRC. 
•  As of Sunday, 44 patients were enrolled in a randomized control trial in Beni.
• Over 24,000,000 travelers have been screened, with two confirmed cases detected among them.