Ebola-Fieber im Kongo

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (15): (ORIENTALE), WHO
*************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Thu 27 Sep 2012
Source: World Health Organization (WHO), CSR, Disease Outbreak News [edited]
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_09_27/en/index.html


As of Mon 24 Sep 2012, 51 cases (19 laboratory confirmed, 32 probable) of Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Of these, 20 have been fatal (7 confirmed, 13 probable). The cases reported are from the Isiro and Viadana health zones in Haut-Uele district in Orientale Province. To date, 28 suspected cases have been reported and are being investigated.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) continues to work with partners, under the National Task Force, which includes: WHO; Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF); the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); US Agency for International Development (USAID); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to identify all possible chains of transmission of the illness and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to interrupt transmission and stop the outbreak.

Response operations continue in the areas of: Coordination; infection prevention and control (IPC); surveillance and epidemiology; case management; public information and social mobilization; psychosocial support; anthropological analysis; and logistics. Current activities include: training for health managers and heads of clinic services to strengthen surveillance; outreach to schools through principals, teachers and students; psychosocial support to affected families, particularly in Isiro and surrounding areas, where the latest cases are being detected, and to health care workers; training of social workers who are providing support in the Ebola treatment rooms; and interpersonal communication skills training for frontline staff. Local community-based radio has also broadcast programmes to provide information and address the concerns of the local populations.

WHO and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) have deployed experts to support operational response. Technical support has been further strengthened with an infection prevention and control expert to assist in preventing disease transmission in health care and community settings.

***With respect to this event, WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions be applied to the DRC.***

General information on controlling infection of EHF in health-care settings:

Human-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus is primarily associated with direct contact with blood and body fluids. Transmission to healthcare workers has been reported when appropriate infection control measures have not been observed. Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus need to apply infection control measures to avoid any exposure to the patient's blood and body fluids and/or direct unprotected contact with the possibly contaminated environment. It is important that standard precautions, particularly hand hygiene, the use of gloves and other personal protective equipment, safe injection practices, and other measures, are applied to all patients in all health care settings.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Marianne Hopp

[As of 15 Sep 2012, 46 cases (14 laboratory confirmed, 32 probable) of Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) had been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Of these, 19 have been fatal (6 confirmed, 13 probable). Thus, during the past 9 days, the number of cases has increased by 5 (all confirmed cases), with 32 cases remaining as probable cases. The number of fatalities has increased by one (a confirmed case), with 13 fatalities remaining classified as probable. The number of suspected but not yet confirmed cases has increased from 26 to 28.

All the cases identified so far remain restricted to the health zones of Isiro and Viadana in Haut-Uele district in Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A map of the provinces of DRC is available at: http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-r ... l-map.html.

The interactive ProMED-mail/HealthMap can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/r/1Ahy. - Mod.CP]

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (16): (ORIENTALE)
********************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Thu 27 Sep 2012
Source: News24 Africa, Agence France-Presse report [edited]
http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Ebola ... C-20120927


Ebola claims more lives in DRC
------------------------------
An outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] may have killed up to 33 people, while the number of suspected cases has risen, the health ministry said on Thursday [27 Sep 2012]. A total of 79 cases have been recorded, including 19 confirmed positive after laboratory analysis, 32 probable cases and 28 suspected cases, while 33 deaths were registered by 25 Sep 2012, the Ministry announced. 17 of the deaths were confirmed to be caused by Ebola virus infection.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that the fatality rate was almost 42 percent. The WHO added that a baby born prematurely in the isolation centre in Isiro -- the epicentre of the epidemic in northeastern DRC -- to a mother infected by Ebola virus had died on Thursday, the statement said. In DRC, it was the 1st time a pregnant Ebola disease patient had given birth, because "Ebola disease and pregnancy are almost incompatible," Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said after the baby was born.

To date, there is no treatment nor vaccine for Ebola disease, which kills between 25 percent and 90 percent of patients depending on the strain of the virus. There have been 8 outbreaks in the DRC. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces and sweat, by sexual contact and by unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

Currently, 167 people who have been in contact with the 79 reported cases are under surveillance. "We need to manage to follow all the contacts closely and regularly and to that end, we need to strengthen awareness among the population," Benoit Kebela, the head of the health ministry's unit to fight infectious diseases told Agence France-Presse. Among the 79 reported cases, 24 concern health workers.

"We are in control of the situation, because we were able to make efforts in hospital measures -- we have protective equipment," added Dr Kebela, who was on a mission to Isiro. An epidemic was declared in mid-August in Orientale province, but the international committee for the fight against Ebola has carried out research and dated the outbreak back to May [2012]. The ministry of health, the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF - Medecins Sans Frontieres) are working in close collaboration to combat the outbreak.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Kunihiko Iizuka

[The number of suspected cases continues to increase. Since the previous WHO report of 24 Sep 2012 (Ebola virus disease - Congo DR (15): (OR) WHO 20120927.1312872) the number of reported cases has increased from 46 to 79, although the actual numbers of confirmed and suspected cases remain 19 and 32 respectively. The number of fatalities has increased from 19 (6 confirmed) to 33 (17 confirmed). All the cases identified so far remain confined to the health zones of Isiro and Viadana in Haut-Uele district in Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A map of the provinces of DRC is available at:
http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-r ... l-map.html, and the interactive ProMED-mail/HealthMap can be accessed at:
http://healthmap.org/r/1Ahy. - Mod.CP]

[Thanks to Kunihiko Iizuka for a similar report. - Mod.JW]

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (17): (ORIENTALE)
********************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Mon 1 Oct 2012
Source: Times Live, South African Press Association (SAPA)-Agence France-Presse (AFP) report [edited]
http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/2012/ ... ises-to-36


An outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may have killed up to 36 people, out of 81 suspected cases, according to a new death toll released by the Health Ministry on Monday [1 Oct 2012]. The Ministry said that 20 confirmed cases have been recorded, as well as 32 likely and 29 suspected as of Sat 29 Sep 2012.

They said that among the 36 deaths, 10 were confirmed to have been a direct result of the killer virus. They also said that the number of people under observation had risen to 216 since the outbreak was first reported in mid-August [2012] in the eastern Orientale province of the DRC. The vast majority of cases were reported in and around the town of Isiro.

DR Congo has recorded 8 outbreaks of Ebola, one of the world's most virulent diseases, since the virus was first reported near a river that gave it its name in 1976.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Previously on Thu 27 Sep 2012 the Ministry of Health of the DRC reported that 79 cases had been recorded, comprising 19 cases confirmed by laboratory diagnosis, 32 probable but not yet confirmed cases, and 28 suspected cases. That is, during the past 72 hours approximately the number of confirmed cases has increased by one, the number of suspected cases by one, with the number of probable cases remaining unchanged. In addition the number of people under observation is now 216.

The number of deaths during the outbreak has increased from 33 to 36, but so far no more than 10 of the deaths have been attributed to Ebola virus infection.

A map of the provinces of DRC is available at: http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-r ... l-map.html and the interactive ProMED-mail/HealthMap can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/1Ahy. - Mod.CP]

[Birgitt]

Kongo, Demokratische Republik - Ebola hämorrhagisches Fieber (EHF)
02.10.2012

In Isiro und in Viadana in der Provinz Orientale (NO) sind im August Ebola-Erkrankungen aufgetreten. Es wurden bisher 19 Erkrankungen inkl. 17 Todesfälle gemeldet. Die Provinz Orientale grenzt an Uganda, wo es seit Anfang Juli eine Ebola-Epidemie gibt, die aber jetzt beendet zu sein scheint. Der Virustyp bei den beiden Ausbrüchen ist nicht derselbe, es handelt sich also um zwei unabhängig voneinander aufgetretene Ereignisse. Die WHO in Zusammenarbeit mit Gesundheitsbehörden und internationalen Hilfsorganisationen ist dabei, Eindämmungsmaßnahmen einzuleiten. Die letzten großen Ebola-Epidemien im Kongo waren 1995 (250 Tote) und 2007 (187 Tote). / Quelle 02.10.2012

Gruß
Birgitt

[Birgitt]

Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo – update
08.10.2012 - WHO

As of 7 October 2012, 49 cases (31 laboratory confirmed, 18 probable) with Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Of these, 24 have been fatal (10 confirmed, 14 probable).

The cases reported are from Isiro and Viadana health zones in Haut-Uélé district in Province Orientale.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) continues to work with partners, under the National Task Force to identify all possible chains of transmission of the illness and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to interrupt transmission and stop the outbreak. The task force includes Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF); the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); US Agency for International Development (USAID); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO.

Response operations continue in the areas of coordination; Infection Prevention and Control (IPC); surveillance and epidemiology; case management; public information and social mobilization; psychosocial support; anthropological analysis; and logistics.

WHO and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) have deployed experts to support operational response, including establishment of a field laboratory and in the area of infection prevention and control in health care settings.

Initial samples were tested and confirmed by Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI). CDC established a field laboratory in Isiro in the beginning of the outbreak and Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is continuing to provide support on rapid diagnosis in the field with their mobile laboratory facilities in Isiro.

Ongoing activities in Isiro and neighbouring areas include: training of health care workers on IPC in health care facilities, provision of support on case management, strengthening surveillance, working with traditional healers in raising awareness about EHF, providing psychosocial support to affected families, and conducting outreach to schools.

With respect to this event, WHO does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions to be applied to the DRC.

Gruß
Birgitt

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (19): (ORIENTALE)
********************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Wed 17 Oct 2012
Source: Expansion, Europa Press report [in Spanish, machine trans., summ. & edited]
http://www.expansion.com/agencia/europa ... 21441.html


DRC - Local sources warn that the Ebola epidemic is not over
------------------------------------------------------------
The Ebola [virus disease] epidemic that has killed more than 30 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is not yet over and is still killing according to local religious sources to the missionary news agency (MISNA).

"I would like to tell you that the Ebola epidemic is over, but we still do not see an end," said a missionary in Orientale province in a report received by MISNA. Last week [week of 8 Oct 2012], only one case was detected but "since then a young woman with all the symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever died near Isiro," the correspondent added.

The latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO), in mid-September [2012], recorded 31 deaths. Since then there have been 3 others, according MISNA. "The group most affected are nurses and health workers, at least until appropriate protective measures were implemented" by the Ministry of Health, WHO, and the humanitarian organisation Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), said the missionary.

The correspondent notes that one of the main problems to confront the epidemic is that "many people avoid hospitals and health facilities for fear of contracting the infection or be isolated." Under these conditions warns the correspondent; "there is a risk that possible new cases of the disease are not being identified." WHO believes that the epidemic has peaked, but has warned that "it is necessary to be vigilant because the descent phase has not yet begun and the virus has not yet been completely controlled."

Furthermore there is a sense of insecurity prevailing in the neighbouring province of North Kivu, and in the east of the country. Thousands of IDPs [internally displaced people] are complicating the containment measures and provision of humanitarian assistance.

WHO and the UN have called for international aid of USD 2 million (1.5 million euros) to combat the epidemic, "a burden that countries, such as the DRC, are unable to carry out alone," said the local WHO representative, Dr Leodegal Bazira, according to the MISNA report.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>

[As commented in the previous report from the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is still a lack of clarity about the extent of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the precise number of confirmed and suspected cases. Further information is still awaited.

A map of the provinces of DRC is available at http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-r ... l-map.html and the interactive ProMED-mail/HealthMap can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/35-r. - Mod.CP]

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (21): (ORIENTALE)
*********************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Tue 23 Oct 2012
Source: The Raw Story, Agence France-Presse (AFP) report [edited]
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/23/w ... tabilizes/


WHO: Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo stabilises
--------------------------------------------------------------
An outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo [Congo DR] has stabilised, with no new deaths or cases in more than a week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stated on Tue 23 Oct 2012. For the past 10 days, the death toll from the haemorraghic fever has remained at 36 and no new cases have been registered, the WHO said in a bulletin. The last case of hospitalisation dates back to 11 Oct 2012, according to the statement released to the press on Tuesday [23 Oct 2012]. A total of 75 people are believed to have been infected and the fatality rate in the outbreak went to 48 percent.

"We are very, very vigilant," WHO Kinshasa representative Leodegal Bazira told AFP. "It takes just one case to start up a cycle of transmission." The fact that the disease had been confined to the town of Isiro and its neighbourhood was a positive factor, he added. An epidemic was declared in mid-August [2012] in the northeastern Orientale Province. But researchers have dated the outbreak back to May.

The Ministry of Health, the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) based in Atlanta, Georgia, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), [and the USAID PREDICT project] have been working in close cooperation to combat the outbreak. To date, there is no treatment or vaccine for Ebola [virus disease], which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the WHO. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces, and sweat, by sexual contact and by unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

Congo DR has recorded 8 outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, one of the world's most virulent diseases, since the virus was first reported near a Congolese river that gave the disease its name in 1976.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The previous confusion over the extent of the outbreak and the numbers of cases and fatalities, is now resolved. A total of 75 people are believed to have been infected, 36 of whom have died, giving a fatality rate of 48 percent.

A map of the provinces of DRC is available at http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-r ... l-map.html and the interactive ProMED-mail/HealthMap of Congo DR can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/35-r. - Mod.CP]

[The difficulty of getting outbreaks reported from remote areas of the country is shown; this one perhaps began in May 2012 but was only reported in August. There must be at least 21 days -- one maximum incubation period -- after the last case before the outbreak can be declared over. - Mod.JW]

[Birgitt]

Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo – update
26.10.2012 - WHO

As of 24 October 2012, 52 cases (35 laboratory confirmed, 17 probable) with Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Of these, 25 have been fatal (12 confirmed, 13 probable).

The cases are reported from Isiro and Viadana health zones in Haut-Uélé district in Province Orientale.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) continues to work with local health authorities and international partners in active surveillance, tracing of contacts of probable and confirmed cases, infection prevention and control in health care settings, management of patients in health care facilities, logistics, social mobilization, provision of psychosocial support and conducting anthropological analysis to support the control of the outbreak.

Surveillance activities are being strengthened in Isiro and neighbouring areas, including Bedhe and Nakwapongo. In Isiro, health care workers are being trained on basic infection prevention and control in health care settings. Through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), a field laboratory has been set up by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

Social mobilization activities are being carried out in schools and churches in Isiro, Rungu and Ngosaku to provide information on protection against the Ebola virus and to discuss concerns of the local population.

Gruß
Birgitt

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (24): (ORIENTALE PROVINCE)
*****************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Tue 27 Nov 2012
Source: The New Age on line, Agence France-Presse report [edited]
http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic- ... d-minister


The latest outbreak of Ebola [virus disease] in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] has ended after claiming 34 lives, Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said on Monday [26 Nov 2012]. According to revised figures, 62 people are believed to have been infected during the latest epidemic, which was declared in mid-August 2012 in the northeastern Orientale Province and which officially ended on Friday [23 Nov 2012], he said.

The Health Ministry, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control based in Atlanta, Georgia (CDC), and Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) have been working in close cooperation to combat the outbreak. To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola virus disease, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the WHO. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces, or sweat, or by sexual contact, or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

The DRC has now recorded 8 outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, one of the world's most virulent diseases, since the virus was 1st reported near a river that gave the disease its name in 1976.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The WHO's most recent report on this outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the DRC reported that 52 cases and 25 deaths had occurred during the course of this outbreak, which is attributed to infection by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. The above report gives the final tally as 62 cases and 34 deaths.

Currently, 2 other regions in Central Africa are afflicted by outbreaks of filovirus infection. An outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Sudan strain) is affecting the Luweero and Kampala districts of Uganda. Six confirmed cases and 4 probable cases have been reported, and there have been 5 deaths.

An outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in western Uganda as a result of Marburg virus infection has been responsible for at least 9 fatalities. The outbreak has affected 4 districts in southwestern Uganda (Kampala, the capital city, Ibanda, Mbarara, and Kabale). It appears that the outbreak is being successfully contained by the prompt response of the Ugandan Ministry of Health and its partners.

It would seem that, currently, in Central Africa, conditions are right for the transmission of filovirus infections. Concurrently, the ability of the local medical authorities and their international partners to respond to these events has improved significantly.

A map of the provinces of DRC is available at http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-r ... l-map.html.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/r/1Ahy. - Mod.CP]

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: (ORIENTALE)
***************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Wed 29 May 2013
Source: Straits Times, Agence France-Presse (AFP) report [edited]
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-ne ... n-20130529


The United Nations (UN) said on Wednesday [29 May 2013] that 6 suspected cases of Ebola [virus disease] have been reported in the north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC], just 6 months after an outbreak of the deadly virus ended in the area.

Mr Sylvestre Ntumba, an official working for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the cases had been recorded between 1 May and 12 May [2013] in the Bas-Uele district, in the north eastern Orientale Province.

"Six suspected cases of Ebola [virus disease] have been reported," he told reporters at a press conference in Kinshasa. "With the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), a team from the provincial health division is on the ground to investigate and to take samples," he said, adding they are currently awaiting results.

The previous epidemic had its epicentre in Isiro, about 240 km [149 mi] from Mongo. Between May and November 2012, there were 62 cases with 34 deaths, according to the UN. For the 1st time, an infected woman had given birth to a premature baby alive -- but both finally died.

There is no treatment or vaccine against [ebolavirus]. It is transmitted by direct contact with blood, body fluids (sweat, urine, feces), through sexual [contact], and by mishandling of contaminated corpses. This disease is characterized by fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and bleeding gums.

During the last epidemic in the DRC, the fight has been hampered by traditions and customs encouraging proximity with the sick and the dead, and also the fear of people being placed in isolation, which might lead patients to flee into the bush.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Orientale is one of the 10 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Orientale Province lies in the north east of the country. It borders Equateur to the west, Kasai-Oriental province to the south west, Maniema to the south, and Nord-Kivu to the south east. The province is divided into the Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo districts and the Ituri Interim Administration.

The precise location of this new outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Orientale Province is not stated in the brief report above, but it is implied that the new outbreak is not far from the previous outbreak.

We await further information about the location of this new outbreak and confirmation of the identity of the disease.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the Democratic Republic of Congo can be seen at http://healthmap.org/r/735b. A map showing the location of Orientale Province can be accessed at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episo ... tale/1657/. - Mod.CP]

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (02): (ORIENTALE) NOT, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
*************************************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Mon 3 Jun 2013
Source: Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Agence France-Presse (AFP) report [edited]
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/hea ... 96542.html


A senior health ministry official in the Democratic Republic of Congo [Congo DR] on Monday [3 Jun 2013] ruled out an Ebola virus disease outbreak in the northeast of the country, after possible cases were reported by United Nations staff.

"There were 6 cases, including 4 children under 5 and 2 adults, who suffered from fever and haemorrhagic symptoms. We have carried out analyses at the INRB (National Institute of Biomedical Research) and the results are negative... It's not Ebola virus disease," Benoit Kabela Ilunga, who runs the contagious diseases department at the Ministry, told Agence France-Presse. Kabela added that further tests were in hand to determine what disease had killed 3 of the children among the 6 cases reported last Wednesday [29 May 2013] by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Other diseases can be associated with bleeding, like typhoid fever, meningitis, yellow fever, (and) severe malaria," the doctor said.

OCHA had announced suspect cases recorded between 1 May and 12 May [2013] at Mongo in the Bas-Uele district of the northeastern Orientale province, about 240 km (150 mi) from Isiro, where the last Ebola virus outbreak killed 34 people out of 62 confirmed cases between May and November 2012.

To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola virus disease, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces, or sweat, and by sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

Ebola virus disease, one of the world's most virulent diseases, was first discovered in the DRC in 1976 and the country has had 8 subsequent outbreaks.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Orientale is one of the 10 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Orientale Province lies in the north east of the country. It borders Equateur to the west, Kasai-Oriental province to the south west, Maniema to the south, and Nord-Kivu to the south east. The province is divided into the Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo districts and the Ituri Interim Administration. The current suspected outbreak, now unconfirmed, is located some 240 km [150 mi] distant from the previously confined outbreak in Orientale province in late 2012.

Further information is awaited on the outcome of the current investigation.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the Democratic Republic of Congo can be seen at http://healthmap.org/r/735b. A map showing the location of Orientale Province can be accessed at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episo ... tale/1657/. - Mod.CP]

[Butterblume]

Hallo Birgitt,

vielen Dank für die Info. Da Du diese Nachrichten ja seit Jahren im Blick hast, möchte ich Dich etwas fragen. Ist es nur mein subjektiver Eindruck, dass die Ebola- bzw. Marburgfieber-Ausbrüche immer ab Juni, Juli gemeldet werden? Falls das zutrifft, hast Du eine Idee wie die Zusammenhänge sind?

Herzliche Grüße und Dank
Marina

[Birgitt]

Hallo Marina,

sorry, deine Frage hatte ich völlig übersehen.
Die Ebola-Ausbrüche sind ganz unterschiedlich, da kann man glaube ich keinen Monat festmachen.
Im Norden der Republik Kongo (Mbomo / Etoumbi) kamen sie einige Jahre regelmäßig zwischen November und Januar ...

Gruß
Birgitt

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (03): (ORIENTALE) SUSPECTED, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
*******************************************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Fri 18 Oct 2013
Source: Red Pepper [edited]
http://www.redpepper.co.ug/ebola-outbre ... -6-in-drc/


A suspected Ebola fever outbreak in the Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed [the lives of] at least 6 people in the last 3 weeks. 7 suspected cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever have been reported in Isiro and Monga health zones in Orientale Province. One of the deaths was reported in Mongo health zone while 5 others occurred in Isiro Zone.

According to Dr Marrie-Josee Karani, the head of the office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Kisangani, samples from the suspects were sent to the Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa and are yet to confirm the outbreak of the deadly virus. He however says the symptoms presented by the victims are similar to those of Ebola fever and asked the population to be extra careful. He also asked the locals to desist from eating wild [animal] meat and to isolate patients who show signs of Ebola fever.

If confirmed, this will be the 2nd time that the virus has hit the area in less than a year. In November 2012 the deadly virus claimed 30 people in the territory of Isiro, Orientale Province.

The disease was later declared to have been contained at the end of November 2012 by Congolese public health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi.

[Byline: Stephen Muneza]

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been the site of recurrent outbreaks of Ebola virus disease. The most recent suspected outbreak in 2013 remains unconfirmed [see ProMED archives below].

The current suspected outbreak has not yet been confirmed by laboratory diagnosis and appears to be involving a small number of people in 2 separate health zones. More detailed information would be welcomed.

Orientale is one of the 10 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies in the north east of the country and borders Equateur province to the west, Kasai-Oriental province to the south west, Maniema province to the south, and Nord-Kivu province to the south east.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the Democratic Republic of Congo can be seen at http://healthmap.org/r/35-r.
A map showing the location of Orientale Province can be accessed at http://www.ezilon.com/maps/images/afric ... of-Con.gif.
- Mod.CP]

[Birgitt]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: SUSPECTED
*****************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Mon 21 Jul 2014
Source: New Vision (Uganda) [edited]
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/657793- ... n-drc.html


Uganda alert after Ebola reports in DRC
---------------------------------------
Ugandan health experts are monitoring neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo where suspected cases of Ebola virus disease have been reported. Dr Asuman Lukwago, the permanent secretary in the [Uganda] Ministry of Health said: "The suspected cases were in Aruu and other parts of north eastern [DR] Congo. We learnt Kinshasa was testing the samples."

Although he could not provide how many suspected cases have been reported in DR Congo, Dr Lukwago said Uganda has been on alert since the outbreak in West Africa. "If Ebola is confirmed in Congo, we can send our team to work with the Congolese so that the disease is controlled from there," added Lukwago.

[byline: Raymond Baguma]

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail rapporteur Mary Marshall

[Ebolaviruses are endemic in the DR Congo -- see ProMED-mail archives below.

Aru (Aruu) is a territory in Ituri District, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the name of the territory's administrative capital, Aru Town. The territory is located at the northern edge of the province, on the border with Uganda to the east and South Sudan to the north -- see maps at http://www.nationsonline.org/maps/dr_congo_map_855.jpg, http://www.e-politik.de/images/upload/karte-kongo.gif, and http://healthmap.org/promed/p/9724. - Mod.JW]