The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) 10th Ebola outbreak continued to spread over the weekend, with the outbreak on the eastern border of the DRC growing to 91 cases (64 confirmed, 21 probable), according to officials.
So far 50 deaths have been attributed to hemorrhagic fever during this outbreak, and 12 cases remain under investigation.
In an update yesterday, the DRC ministry of health said one of the newly confirmed cases is in the Mabalako health zone in North Kivu province, and that person is a known and followed probable case contact. A newly confirmed death is also reported in Mabalako, which has 52 of the confirmed cases.
Mabalako, and neighboring Beni, serves as the epicenter of the outbreak. Like other towns in North Kivu, it is also home to rebel violence, a fact that's made controlling this outbreak difficult for the World Health Organization (WHO) and DRC officials.
"To date, surveillance teams have registered 1,609 contacts to follow," the DRC said in the translated update. "Of these contacts to be followed, there are 41 who are in a red zone to which the surveillance teams do not have access because of the security situation."
The DRC said that, despite the ongoing violence, ring vaccination efforts continue in Mabalako, Beni, and Mandima health zones. Since Aug 8. 873 known contacts have been vaccinated (467 in Mabalako, 256 in Beni, and 150 in Mandima). For the second time this year, the DRC is using Merck's unlicensed Ebola vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, to immunize case contacts and healthcare workers against the virus.
The WHO released a new story detailing care at the Mangina heath center, which is more than 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of the city of Beni. Officials suspect the initial case-patient in this outbreak was first seen at the Mangina clinic in late July, where workers suspected she had a particularly bad case of malaria.
The WHO story said at least 75 staff members at the Mangina clinic have had contact with Ebola patients.
Healthcare workers, children infected
In an interview with The Hill, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said at least 10 healthcare workers have been infected during this outbreak. Early infection in healthcare workers is often connected to an increase in Ebola cases, as infected workers may treat a number of patients before realizing they are symptomatic.
Jasarevic also said not all transmission chains have been identified in this outbreak, which could mean "blind spots" in the current vaccination strategy.
According to a report from UNICEF on Aug 17, children have also been uniquely affected by the outbreak.
"Two children have already died from the disease. The Ebola treatment centres in Beni and Mangina are currently treating six children that are infected by the disease or suspected to be. UNICEF has identified 53 orphaned children who have lost their parents to Ebola," UNICEF said.
Finally, on Aug 17 the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its travel warning concerning the DRC, saying travelers should protect themselves against the virus by avoiding contact with other people's blood or body fluids, and paying attention to their health status in the 3 weeks following travel.
See also:
Aug 19 DRC update
Aug 17 WHO story
Aug 19 The Hill story
Aug 17 UNICEF story
Aug 17 CDC travel notice
