The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry said today that all contacts of the last confirmed case have completed their 21-day monitoring periods with none showing any signs of illness, marking the beginning of the countdown to the end of the nation's ninth Ebola outbreak.
In a separate report, researchers from Liberia weigh in on urban spread in the DRC and recommend strategies for reducing that type of Ebola transmission.
In a World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office weekly bulletin, Kenya reported an additional 44 cases of Rift Valley fever (RVF), including 6 deaths, in an ongoing outbreak of the virus.
The spike in cases raises outbreak totals to 54 cases, including 11 deaths, resulting in a case-fatality rate of 20.4%. Men ages 21 to 30 years old make up 70% of the patients.
No new lab-confirmed Ebola infections were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past 3 days, though surveillance workers continue to report more suspected cases from the remote hot spots, while tests rule out earlier suspected cases.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) yesterday noted four new suspected cases of Ebola virus, two each in Bikoro and Iboko health zones, yet the number of cases overall remained steady. Four previously suspected cases tested negative for the virus, so the current total now stands at 61 cases, including 38 confirmed, 14 probable, and 9 suspected.
In the latest development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ebola outbreak, the country's health ministry yesterday reported three new suspected cases in Bikoro, one of the two remote hotspots, according to a daily update.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) health ministry reported five more suspected cases of Ebola in Iboko health zone, as lab testing ruled out seven previously suspected cases.
There are now a total of 60 cases, including 28 deaths (38 confirmed, 14 probable, and 8 suspected). The case-fatality rate is 47%.
The first human trial of a monoclonal antibody cocktail produces good results.
The death toll remains at 28, and two African experts call the response swift at all levels.
The number of people sickened in Kenya's Rift Valley fever outbreak has climbed to 26, including 6 deaths, and though the country has experience handling earlier outbreaks, the new developments are concerning, given the high number of affected livestock and the nomadic culture that depends on an animal-based diet, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an update.
