Ebola Outbreak In Congo Remains Serious, Africa CDC Says

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains serious, with data pointing to gaps in infection prevention and control measures, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday.

Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said on Saturday that there were “encouraging signs” in the response to the outbreak since its peak in mid-August, adding that transmission had been gradually slowing.

While Africa CDC data showed a slight decline in cases over the previous two weeks, its Director-General Jean Kaseya cautioned that the outbreak was not yet under control.

“The data could not confirm that the peak of the outbreak has been reached, and the transmission is not yet consistently controlled across all affected areas,” Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group said.

Kaseya, however, welcomed the decline in infections reported in the eastern province of Ituri.

He said statements by Congolese health officials were based on incomplete data and stressed that a sustained reduction in cases would be needed before authorities could conclude that the outbreak had passed its peak.

“We are still committed to supporting the government, and I want to congratulate [it] for the progress made so far. We saw a decrease in some areas, but we say the situation is still serious,” Kaseya told reporters.