The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health (MOH) released a new update late yesterday afternoon on the growing Ebola outbreak in the eastern region of the country, noting seven new confirmed cases, one of whom is a healthcare worker at Mangina Reference Health Center.
As the WHO detailed stepped-up efforts to prepare four key countries to prevent and detect cases, tests in Uganda ruled out three suspected cases.
The WHO's director-general today warned that 'red zones' in conflict areas could be hiding places for Ebola.
A WHO official said Ebola spread could get worse before it gets better, due to health worker exposures early in the outbreak.
The health ministry says 54 suspected cases are being investigated, up from 47.
One week after the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry declared a new outbreak in the east of the country, an immunization campaign began today, which targeted frontline health workers from the Mangina Reference Health Center, the epicenter of the outbreak, who had been in contact with confirmed cases and their contacts.
So far, there are 43 confirmed and probable cases, and health officials are probing 46 additional supected illnesses.
Thirteen of the 43 cases are confirmed; 3 health workers were infected, 1 fatally.
The outbreak is taking place in a war zone with difficult access, among other challenges.
In an update yesterday on a Cyclospora outbreak linked to McDonald's salads, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 109 more cases, raising the total to 395.
The number of affected states remained at 15, and the latest illness onset was Jul 20. So far 16 people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
