The 17 newly confirmed cases are from the current epicenters: Katwa, Butembo, and Mandima.

To prepare for the next EVD outbreak, we advocate the establishment of national and regional hubs of excellence in infectious diseases genomics in regions with a high risk of outbreaks, where untargeted metagenomic sequencing analysis would be done.

The 2018 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, began on May 8, and was declared over on July 24. Researchers did a retrospective genomic characterization of the outbreak and assessed potential therapeutic agents and vaccines.

After the worst-ever week of new infections in one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks in history, there is growing concern that the Canadian-developed Ebola vaccine is still mistrusted by many of the most vulnerable people in the crisis zone.

An outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has killed more than 700 people and is continuing to spread does not constitute an international emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, April 12. Declaring the epidemic a “public health emergency of international concern” would have signaled that greater resources and international coordination are needed.

This warning follows confirmation of 18 new Ebola cases on Tuesday, April 9 – the highest single day figure in the now eight month-long outbreak. Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Health Ministry also reported that 10 died people from Ebola on Tuesday, including eight who died in their communities having not sought treatment and support.

The fact that basic supportive care for patients with Ebola virus disease could be debated seems incongruous with the fundamental principles of clinical care. 

The emergency panel’s meeting will take place on Friday April 12 and its decision will be published late the same day.

The surge in new Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continued at a brisk pace Tuesday, April 9, with 14 new cases reported from a broad range of larger and smaller hot spots, the health ministry said in its daily statement.

The new cases raise the outbreak total to 1,154, including 731 deaths, for a case-fatality rate of 63.3 percent..