Health

07
Feb 2021
15:56 UTC

DRC Alert: Ministry of Health confirms case of Ebola in Butembo, North Kivu Province in statement on February 7

Please be advised

  • According to a Ministry of Health statement published on February 7, a single case of Ebola was confirmed in Biena, located near Butembo, North Kivu Province.
  • The woman in question had symptoms in Biena on February 1 and was taken to a hospital in Butembo, where she died on February 3. The woman is understood to be married to a man who had previously recovered from Ebola.
  • The North Kivu provincial response team was dispatched, with the national response team to follow.
  • The last Ebola epidemic that took place in North Kivu concluded on June 25, 2020. A separate Ebola epidemic in Equateur Province concluded on November 18, 2020.

Assessments & Forecast

  1. This is highly significant largely due to its location in North Kivu. The epidemic in the eastern DRC between 2018-2020 was the country’s longest and deadliest due to the armed conflict in the affected areas. A newly confirmed case in Butembo, a district where there remains high levels of armed violence, raises concerns about once again addressing an urgent public health need in a difficult environment. Given the circumstances, contact tracing is likely underway in efforts to contain the situation before it can escalate. Other resources may also be put in position to address a larger outbreak, including efforts to mobilize Ebola vaccination campaigns once again following the nearly 300,000 vaccines distributed between 2018-2020. It is possible that this will be further complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 response.
  2. The information that the patient’s husband had previously recovered from Ebola is also notable. This could potentially align with a growing body of research that suggests Ebola is sexually transmissible even by otherwise healthy survivors of the virus. This would first suggest that populations where there are Ebola survivors retain a latent risk of transmission long after the epidemic is declared over. Second, in this case, if the patient was infected by her husband, this would indicate that the new case in Biena was not due to an occurrence of Ebola in nature but a very limited transmission. In that sense, it would be a positive sign that the situation could be more easily contained. However, even if this is confirmed, the risk of an outbreak will nonetheless depend on the results of the contact tracing efforts, and it remains possible that additional cases will be reported in the coming days.

Recommendations

  1. Those operating or residing in the DRC on February 7 and over the coming weeks are advised to avoid nonessential travel to Butembo, North Kivu Province due to the potential Ebola outbreak.
  2. Those remaining in Butembo are advised to practice stringent hygiene precautions and avoid all physical contact with those who have possible symptoms of an infection, which include high fever, muscle pain, and unexplained bleeding. Continue to monitor your health for 21 days after departing an area affected by Ebola due to its incubation period and contact medical professionals immediately if infection is suspected.
COUNTRY RISK LEVEL High
AFFECTED AREA North Kivu Province, DRC
INCIDENT RISK LEVEL High
STRENGTH OF SOURCE Confirmed

Please be advised

  • According to a Ministry of Health statement published on February 7, a single case of Ebola was confirmed in Biena, located near Butembo, North Kivu Province.
  • The woman in question had symptoms in Biena on February 1 and was taken to a hospital in Butembo, where she died on February 3. The woman is understood to be married to a man who had previously recovered from Ebola.
  • The North Kivu provincial response team was dispatched, with the national response team to follow.
  • The last Ebola epidemic that took place in North Kivu concluded on June 25, 2020. A separate Ebola epidemic in Equateur Province concluded on November 18, 2020.

Assessments & Forecast

  1. This is highly significant largely due to its location in North Kivu. The epidemic in the eastern DRC between 2018-2020 was the country’s longest and deadliest due to the armed conflict in the affected areas. A newly confirmed case in Butembo, a district where there remains high levels of armed violence, raises concerns about once again addressing an urgent public health need in a difficult environment. Given the circumstances, contact tracing is likely underway in efforts to contain the situation before it can escalate. Other resources may also be put in position to address a larger outbreak, including efforts to mobilize Ebola vaccination campaigns once again following the nearly 300,000 vaccines distributed between 2018-2020. It is possible that this will be further complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 response.
  2. The information that the patient’s husband had previously recovered from Ebola is also notable. This could potentially align with a growing body of research that suggests Ebola is sexually transmissible even by otherwise healthy survivors of the virus. This would first suggest that populations where there are Ebola survivors retain a latent risk of transmission long after the epidemic is declared over. Second, in this case, if the patient was infected by her husband, this would indicate that the new case in Biena was not due to an occurrence of Ebola in nature but a very limited transmission. In that sense, it would be a positive sign that the situation could be more easily contained. However, even if this is confirmed, the risk of an outbreak will nonetheless depend on the results of the contact tracing efforts, and it remains possible that additional cases will be reported in the coming days.

Recommendations

  1. Those operating or residing in the DRC on February 7 and over the coming weeks are advised to avoid nonessential travel to Butembo, North Kivu Province due to the potential Ebola outbreak.
  2. Those remaining in Butembo are advised to practice stringent hygiene precautions and avoid all physical contact with those who have possible symptoms of an infection, which include high fever, muscle pain, and unexplained bleeding. Continue to monitor your health for 21 days after departing an area affected by Ebola due to its incubation period and contact medical professionals immediately if infection is suspected.
COUNTRY RISK LEVEL High
AFFECTED AREA North Kivu Province, DRC
INCIDENT RISK LEVEL High
STRENGTH OF SOURCE Confirmed

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