New outbreak declared in Equateur province On 1 June 2020, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared its eleventh Ebola outbreak since records began, following the revelation of new cases of Ebola in Equateur province, northwestern DRC. Less than two years since the last outbreak of the disease ended in Equateur province – and while the country is … Read more
While much of the world’s attention is on battling the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now reached many countries in Africa, measles continues to silently kill large numbers of mostly children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad. DRC – which has also been fighting an Ebola epidemic – declared a measles outbreak in June 2019. Chad’s measles outbreak … Read more
On 10 April 2020, a new case of Ebola was confirmed in the city of Beni, North-Kivu, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The news came after a long interval without new confirmed cases: 52 days had passed since the notification of the previous confirmed case and 40 days had elapsed since the last patient was declared free of Ebola. … Read more
Benjamin “I fled my village with my sister, but the attackers found us. We were their hostages for two weeks. On the road, they slaughtered people in front of us. When we were released, we managed to join our parents in Rho camp.” Benjamin, 16, sits next to his father in their shelter made of … Read more
KINSHASA – For years, the territories of Masisi, Walikale and Rutshuru, in the southern part of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, have been plagued with armed violence and banditry. In the past months, these armed clashes have intensified, further aggravating the dire humanitarian situation, leading to significant numbers of displaced people and worrying signs of malnutrition, sexual … Read more
In Mabalako, a rural health zone in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Ebola epidemic has taken its toll on the fragile health system. Many doctors and health workers have been hired by the internationally-funded Ebola response, leaving health centres and the regional hospital short of staff and financial … Read more
PARIS/GOMA – More than a year into the ongoing Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the disease has killed over 2,000 people. The mortality rate in this outbreak is around 67 per cent [1], which is comparable with the mortality rate in the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, when neither therapeutic treatments, nor a … Read more
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease for which no treatment exists. The only way to fight it is vaccination and treatment of the symptoms in the hope that the patient will be strong enough to naturally fight off the infection. The measles epidemic declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 10 June … Read more
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola one year ago, on 1 August 2018; with many challenges still to be addressed, the outbreak is not under control and unfortunately shows no signs of ending soon. Below are some of the facts and figures from 12 months of the Ebola response in the … Read more
Summary Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared their tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40 years on 1 August 2018. The outbreak is centred in the northeast of the country. With the number of cases passing 2,500, it is now by far the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak. It is also the second-biggest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, … Read more