Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health declare tenth Ebola outbreak
On 1 August 2018, the DRC Ministry of Health (MoH) declared the tenth outbreak of EVD in DRC, located in the North- Kivu province in the northeast of the country, close to the border with Uganda (~100 km).
The MoH is implementing the EVD response plan in the affected areas and is being supported by the World Health Organization with assistance from several international organisations. Contact tracing of case contacts continues, and the rVSV-ZEBOV, an experimental vaccine, is being offered to healthcare workers and contacts of cases.
The full extent of the epidemic is still unknown due to the fact that the epidemic may have been ongoing for almost 3 months in a populated area with high cross-border population mobility with Uganda and Rwanda. Implementation of response measures may be difficult because the area is affected by a prolonged humanitarian crisis and a complex armed conflict.
The probability that EU/EEA citizens who live or travel in EVD-affected areas of DRC are exposed to the disease is low, provided they take recommended precautionary measures.
There are no international airports in the affected areas that offer direct flights to EU/EEA Member States, which limits the risk of introduction of the virus into the EU/EEA. The overall risk of introduction and further spread of Ebola virus within the EU/EEA is very low.
WHO advises against any travel or trade restrictions but the US CDC and WHO have issued travel recommendations.
ECDC Rapid Risk Assessment: Ebola virus disease outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo [9/8/18]