The Ebola response has been hampered by violence in the region, and the security context remains volatile. Attacks allegedly perpetrated by the armed group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are regularly reported in the surroundings of Oicha/Beni/Mangina/Biakato in Ituri and North Kivu.
On February 9, thousands of people fled the town of Mangina towards Beni and Butembo following the killings of more than 27 civilians in Makusa and Makiki to the north on February 7 and 8. In response, Ebola activities in Mangina were temporarily suspended and all patients hospitalized in the Mangina ETC were temporarily transferred to the ETC in Beni. Surveillance controls at entry points to Beni were reinforced, but no suspected or confirmed Ebola cases were notified among the displaced people.
On February 12, the WHO Emergency Committee for Ebola virus disease decided to maintain the outbreak’s “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) status. While acknowledging an overall encouraging trend in case incidence and geographic spread, the Committee said it was concerned that rescinding the PHEIC at that moment might have had adverse consequences for the response efforts. The PHEIC declaration was first made on July 17, 2019.
On February 14, four African countries (DRC, Ghana, Burundi, and Zambia) licensed the Ebola vaccine known as rVSV-ZEBOV, manufactured by Merck, for use in their countries. The licensing of the vaccine means that the country can stockpile and widely use this vaccine without a clinical trial protocol.
The epidemic has severely destabilized DRC’s already fragile health care system. People's medical needs extend well beyond Ebola, as demonstrated by the ongoing measles epidemic that has claimed many more lives. Phasing out the Ebola intervention will likely have far-reaching impacts. Discussions about the next steps required once the outbreak has ended should start now and consider the many urgent health needs of the population.
