Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo

The operating environment has become increasingly insecure and socio-politically complex. Insecurity remains a major impediment to ensuring timely response interventions in the affected communities. Ebola virus disease (EVD) response activities in Butembo and Katwa remained limited; however, are gradually resuming following a comprehensive reinforcement of security measures and community engagement efforts. The overall security situation, nevertheless, remains volatile. While, no significant injuries or damages are reported this week, access and activities in parts of Mandima, Masereka, Kalunguta and Vuhovi, remain irregular due to the presence of armed groups and other security concerns. New EVD cases are expected to continue to increase, in tandem with incidents of insecurity in these hotspot areas over the coming weeks, placing significant strain on response teams and the security resources available to secure their movements. Incidence of EVD cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week saw a considerable, although not unexpected, rise compared to the week prior. This observation is in line with previous instances where a disruption to response activities was followed by a spike in the number of new cases. Transmission remains most intense in the Katwa, Butembo, and Mandima hotspot areas (Figure 1 and Table 1). In addition, notable recurring re-introduction events having been documented in previously affected health zones such as Mabalako and Musienene, follow...
Source: WHO Disease Outbreaks - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: news Source Type: news