Overview
Epidemic curve for confirmed and probable cases by date of onset
10th Ebola outbreak, DRC, 2018–2019
Affected areas
Africa CDC response activities this week
- The Regional Collaborating Centres continued to support preparedness in Member States, including sharing information and discussing preparedness plans during the weekly ECHO sessions.
- Africa CDC volunteers and experts supported tracing of 710 contacts and investigation of 4262 alerts, including active case-finding for 2448 suspected cases.
- Africa CDC teams made 96 visits to health care facilities and trained 117 health care workers in infection prevention and risk communication. They evaluated 12 health care facilities and accompanied 183 health care workers to ensure compliance with infection prevention measures.
- Africa CDC-supported laboratories received samples and tested 1976 samples.
Update from Member States
UGANDA: In response to EVD cases crossing from DRC into Uganda and the long, porous border with DRC, Africa CDC worked with the Ugandan government to assess and strengthen preparedness for an EVD outbreak. Specific activities included:
- Strengthening the Incident Management System through training high level-leadership and technical support for operating the emergency operations centers and implementing protocols;
- Improving surveillance for EVD through training of 40 health care workers and 45 village health teams from high risk districts in EVD surveillance and contact tracing; Providing points of entry with thermal scanners and providing laboratories with Gene Xpert machines to test for EVD.
SOUTH SUDAN: During the course of last week, Africa CDC also provided technical support to finalize the legal framework for the establishment of the South Sudan National Public Health Institute. Legal and NPHI experts from Africa CDC finalized the legal framework and handed it over to the Minister of Health, who gave his political commitment to establishing the NPHI.
GABON: A week-long Quality Assurance and Early Infant Diagnosis and Point of Care Testing training was carried out for over 30 participants in Libreville through Africa CDC’s RISLNET initiative in Central Africa. An Africa CDC delegation, led by Deputy Director Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, visited the Central Africa RCC and the Ministry of Health of Gabon. Discussions during these visits focused on the full operationalization of the RCC.