Ebola Resurgence in North Kivu

On December 16, 2021, the last flare-up in the Beni health zone of North Kivu was brought under control. According to WHO, there were 11 cases (eight confirmed, three probable), including six fatalities.Following the confirmation of one case in the country’s eastern province of North Kivu, health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a resurgence of Ebola on Monday. According to a press release from the World Health Organization (WHO), a 46-year-old woman died on August 15, 2022 in Beni, a town in North Kivu. She had initially sought treatment there for other conditions, but later displayed symptoms of the Ebola virus disease.The patient’s samples were tested for Ebola virus at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in both Beni and Goma. The country’s longest and largest Ebola outbreak—in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces—was genetically linked to the case, according to analysis, the international health organisation reported on Tuesday. “It is alarming that Ebola resurgences are happening more frequently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, stated on Tuesday that North Kivu’s health authorities have stopped several Ebola flare-ups successfully and that they will undoubtedly quickly bring this one under control by drawing on their experience.The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s health authorities are currently working to stop the disease’s spread after identifying 160 contacts whose health is being carefully monitored. The status of the confirmed case’s vaccinations is still under investigation. The country’s stockpile contains 1000 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine, 200 of which will be delivered to Beni this week. It is anticipated that ring vaccination, which immunises contacts and contacts of contacts to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives, will start soon.

By Subhechcha Ganguly