The World Health Organisation said that there are no cases of the Ebola virus disease outside the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to its weekly situation report released on Wednesday.
The WHO said that even as follow up of the recently confirmed case from Goma continues, contacts travelling to Bukavu and South Kivu have been investigated and ruled out by response teams. The WHO added that no new cases have been reported in Goma to date.
The WHO said that there have been 91 new confirmed EVD cases with an additional 75 deaths reported across North Kivu and Ituri provinces since the last external situation report on July 14.
A week ago, the WHO declared that the current Ebola outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern following a meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations.
The WHO cited concerning geographical expansion of the virus but did not recommend any restrictions on travel or trade; as such restrictions could hamper response efforts.
The Ebola response in the DR Congo has faced several challenges, including a lack of trust in the government and attacks on treatment centres by unidentified assailants.
The latest setback saw Health Minister Oly Ilunga resign from his post on Monday in protest against President Felix Tshisekedi’s decision to take over management of the Ebola response and concerns over a second vaccine.
Over 2,500 cases of Ebola have been reported while more than 1,700 people have died from the disease since the outbreak began nearly a year ago.
The current Ebola outbreak is the second worst recorded, behind the one in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 where more than 11,000 deaths were reported in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
