As of 9 am East African Time (EAT) on 24 February 2021, a total of 17 Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases and 10 deaths (CFR: 59%) have been reported in two African Union (AU) Member States: Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) (8 cases; 4 deaths) and Guinea (9; 6).
DR Congo overview: On 6 February 2021, the DR Congo Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed an outbreak of EVD in Butembo. The index case was a 42 year old woman who initially received outpatient care at a local health center from 25 January to 1 February 2021, but was later admitted to a second health centre from 1 to 3 February 2021 for chest pains and haemorrhagic symptoms (hematemesis and bleeding from the gums). Blood samples collected tested positive for Ebola virus by PCR at the L’Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa on 6 February 2021. This is the 12th reported outbreak of EVD for DR Congo since its discovery there in 1976.
Guinea overview: On 14 February 2021, the Guinea Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed an outbreak of EVD in N’Zérékoré prefecture. The index case was a nurse from Gouécké who died on 28 January 2021 and was buried on 1 February 2021. Seven attendees of the funeral later became ill with diarrhoea, vomiting, and haemorrhagic symptoms; three of whom have since died. Samples collected from three of the contacts tested positive for Ebola virus by PCR at the Gueckedou and Conakry laboratories on 13 February 2021. This is the first reported outbreak of EVD in Guinea since 2016.