Published Date: 2012-09-06 19:56:45
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola virus disease - Congo DR (09): (OE) WHO
Archive Number: 20120906.1283412

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (09): (ORIENTALE) WHO
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Date: Wed 5 Sep 2012
Source: WHO Global Alert and Response (GAR), Disease Outbreak News [edited]
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_09_05/en/index.html


Ebola [virus disease] outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo - update
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The Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to work with partners to control the outbreak of Ebola [virus disease]. As of 3 Sep 2012, a total of 28 (8 confirmed, 6 probable, and 14 suspected) cases including 14 deaths had been reported from Haut-Uele district in Province Orientale. The reported cases and deaths have occurred in 2 health zones -- 18 cases, including 11 deaths in Isiro and 10 cases, including 3 deaths in Viadana. The fatal cases in Isiro include 3 health-care workers.

All alerts have been investigated and so far [ebolavirus] has not been reported from outside Isiro and Viadana health zones. Initial samples were tested by Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe, Uganda, and were confirmed for _Ebolavirus_ (Ebola subtype _Bundibugyo_). Subsequent samples have been confirmed by the field laboratory in Isiro that has been established by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A National Task Force convened by the Congolese Ministry of Health is working with several partners including WHO, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), CDC, to control the outbreak.

WHO has deployed epidemiologists and logisticians from the Regional Office for Africa (including the Inter-country Support Team) and WHO headquarters to support the MoH and is working closely with partners in the areas of coordination, surveillance, epidemiology, logistics for outbreak response, public information, and social mobilization. Support from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), includes deployment of an anthropologist to assist with a clearer understanding of the social and anthropological issues among the affected population that could impact the on-going response efforts.

Control activities that are being carried out include active case finding and contact tracing, enhanced surveillance, case management, public information and social mobilization, and reinforcing infection control practices.

With respect to this event, WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Democratic Republic of Congo.

There is currently no indication that this Ebola virus disease outbreak is related to the recent ebolavirus outbreak in Kibaale district of Uganda.

General information on Ebola subtypes
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There are 5 identified subtypes of Ebola virus. The subtypes have been named after the location they have been first detected in Ebola outbreaks. Three subtypes of the 5 have been associated with large Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) outbreaks in Africa. Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, and Ebola-Bundibugyo. EHF is a febrile haemorrhagic illness, which causes death in 25-90 percent of all cases. The Ebola Reston species, found in the Philippines, can infect humans, but no illness or death in humans has been reported to date.

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Marianne Hopp

[The current nomenclature adopted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) for viruses classified in the family _Filoviridae_ is (http://www.ictvonline.org/virusTaxonomy.asp?version=2011) is the following:
Genus: _Ebolavirus_ (5 species)
Species: _Bundibugyo ebolavirus_
Species: _Reston ebolavirus_
Species: _Sudan ebolavirus_
Species: _Tai Forest ebolavirus_
Species: _Zaire ebolavirus_

Genus: _Marburgvirus_ (one species)
Species: _Marburg Marburgvirus_

It would be preferable if the WHO and the other agencies listed in the above update adopted this classification.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/35-r. A map of the provinces of Democratic Republic of Congo is available at http://www.mapsofworld.com/democratic-republic-of-congo/democratic-republic-of-congo-political-map.html. - Mod.CP]

See Also

Ebola virus disease - Congo DR (08): (OE) 20120904.1280639
Ebola virus disease - Congo DR (07): (OE) WHO 20120831.1275094
Ebola virus disease - Congo DR (06): (OE) 20120824.1260808
Ebola virus disease - Congo DR (05): (OE) WHO 20120821.1254917
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (04): (OE) 20120820.1253396
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (03): (OE) Bundibugyo virus conf. 20120818.1250930
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (02): (OR) susp 20120816.1247447
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR: (OE) susp 20120814.1244138
2010
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Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR: (KO) susp. RFI 20100330.1007
2009
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Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo, DR (09): (KO) NOT 20091123.4029
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (08): (KS) conf. 20091113.3927
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (07): (KS) 20090202.0462
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (06): (KS) 20090124.0315
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (05): (KS) 20090115.0173
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (04): (KS) 20090114.0159
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (03): (KS) 20090111.0113
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (02): (KS) 20090108.0082
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR: (KS), WHO 20090102.0013
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