After the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 July 2019, ECDC updated its risk assessment for the EU/EEA on the on-going outbreak: the overall risk of introduction and further spread of the Ebola virus within the EU/EEA remains very low.
As of 12 June, three imported Ebola virus cases and two deaths in Kasese District in Uganda have been confirmed by the Ugandan Ministry of Health. These are the first cases to be reported outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the beginning of the outbreak in August 2018.
The outbreak reached 1000 cases and is now spreading across 21 health zones. March was the worst month in terms of number of cases since the beginning of the outbreak.
Since the beginning of the outbreak and as of 23 January 2019, according to the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there have been 715 Ebola virus disease cases (666 confirmed, 49 probable), including 443 deaths (394 in confirmed and 49 in probable cases).
Since May 2018 and as of 10 November 2018, there have been 329 Ebola virus disease cases (294 confirmed, 35 probable), including 205 deaths (170 of which were confirmed cases).
Since May 2018 and as of 24 October 2018, there have been 251 Ebola virus disease cases (216 confirmed, 35 probable), including 162 deaths (127 of which were confirmed cases).
Since 11 May and as of 8 September 2018, 131 Ebola cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), of which 100 are confirmed and 31 probable. Among the 131 cases, 90 had a fatal outcome. Eight health zones in two provinces have reported confirmed and probable EVD cases, including Mabalako, Beni, Butembo, Oicha, Masereka, Kalungata and Musienene health zones in North Kivu Province and Mandima Health Zone in Ituri Province.
Fanny Chereau, EPIET fellow from cohort 2016, was deployed with GOARN (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network) to support the response to the plague outbreak in Madagascar, on October 2017.
Ebola cases in urban areas in the Equateur province in DRC increase the risk of spread to neighbouring countries, the risk of introduction to the EU is very low, states ECDC risk assessment published today.
Since 23 August 2017 there is an ongoing epidemic of plague in Madagascar. As of 20 October 2017 WHO has reported 1 365 cases and 106 deaths leading to 8 % case fatality. Nine hundred and fifteen (67%) cases are pneumonic plague cases. The high proportion of pneumonic plague among cases is of concern, indicating that droplet transmission is a driver of the spread of plague in Madagascar beyond the areas that have been considered as endemic for bubonic plague to date. In the last weeks, the number of new confirmed cases seem to be plateauing, indicating that the outbreak is gradually being controlled.