One thousand people have survived the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): a testament to the strong leadership of the Congolese health authorities combined with the tireless efforts of thousands of local health workers and partners.
The outbreak began in August 2018 and is the largest and longest-running that the DRC has experienced, with more than 3,000 cases and 2,137 deaths.
The latest figures released by WHO showed 20 new confirmed cases reported in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, versus 29 in the previous week. The agency said this decrease “should be interpreted with caution, as operational and security challenges in certain health zones make it difficult to undertake case detection and response functions.”
WHO said there had been a “clear shift in the hot spots of the outbreak from high density, urban settings, such as Butembo, Katwa, and Beni, to more rural areas with a lower population density.”
However, new tools are helping to stop the deadly virus and save lives. Among them is a highly effective vaccine, which has a 97.5 percent effective rate. So far, more than 225,000 people have been protected.
David Gressly, Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator, said although every survivor serves as motivation to continue the fight against the disease, they also are a reminder of those who could not be saved.
The Ebola epidemic began in North Kivu province in the east of the country. It has since spread to parts of neighbouring Ituri and South Kivu provinces, but active transmission currently is confined to several hotspots in Ituri.
Several UN agencies are working to stop the outbreak, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), alongside international partners like Save The Children.
The United Nations scaled-up its efforts in May in support of the Government-led response in the areas of public health, assistance to Ebola-affected communities, political engagement, security and also in strengthened financial management.
Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, WHO Assistant Director-General for Emergencies Response, stressed that while tools, vaccines and treatments for Ebola are available, it is still critical to find and support everyone who has been in contact with an infected person.
Original source: UN News
Published on 04 October 2019