CDC EPIC Extra - Ebola Update

On August 1, 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Ebola. One year later, the outbreak continues in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Since the outbreak was announced, CDC subject matter experts have been on the ground in the DRC to support the Congolese and international response. The United States government, including CDC, is working with DRC, Uganda, WHO, other federal agencies, and other partners to support the current Ebola outbreak response by providing technical assistance and expertise in

• Disease tracking
• Case investigation
• Contact tracing
• Case management
• Infection prevention and control
• Safe burials
• Community engagement and social mobilization
• Risk communication and health education
• Behavioral science
• Laboratory testing
• Border health
• Data management
• Vaccination campaigns
• Logistics

As cases of Ebola continued to increase in the eastern region of DRC, and travel-associated cases were reported in neighboring Uganda, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 17, 2019 declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC). 

As of August 23, 2019, a total of 2,942 cases, including 153 in healthcare workers, and 1,965 deaths have been reported. As of August 18, 2019, CDC has conducted 361 deployments to DRC, WHO headquarters, and neighboring countries since the beginning of the response. In addition, CDC staff already based in DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan have intensified efforts on Ebola preparedness and response.

On July 31, 2019, the DRC government reported a second positive test result for Ebola virus in a person in Goma, an urban area in DRC that borders the country of Rwanda. The second case is not linked to the first case confirmed in Goma in mid-July. The patient has since died and additional cases have been reported.