Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola Outbreak (2017)
The 2017 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) began in the Likati region, where a man who initially sought treatment from traditional healers died en route to a health facility on April 22. Following his death, additional cases emerged, leading to a total of eight confirmed or probable infections and four fatalities by the outbreak's conclusion. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the outbreak on May 11 and responded swiftly, deploying medical supplies and personnel to the isolated area. The containment was aided by the region's remoteness, which limited the spread of the virus, despite challenges in accessing the area due to poor infrastructure. By July 2, 2017, the outbreak was declared over after the last patient tested negative for Ebola twice. This outbreak was notably less severe than the previous West African epidemic (2014-2016), thanks to rapid intervention and effective management by local and international health authorities. The 2017 incident marked the DRC's eighth Ebola outbreak since the virus's identification in 1976.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola Outbreak (2017)
Date: April 22–July 2, 2017
Place: Likati, Bas-Uélé Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Summary
On April 22, 2017, a death from Ebola virus disease occurred in the Likati region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). By May 18, the number of suspected cases in the forested, remote area of Bas-Uélé province had risen to twenty-nine. Ultimately, however, the number of probable or confirmed cases only reached eight, with four deaths. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak over by July 2, 2017.
Key Events
- April 22, 2017—First patient dies en route to a health center.
- May 11, 2017—World Health Organization notified that the patient death on April 22 was due to Ebola.
- May 19, 2017—Suspected number of cases reportedly rises to twenty-nine
- July 2, 2017—World Health Organization declares the outbreak over after the last confirmed patient tested negative for the virus for the second time.
Status
As of July 2, 2017, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was declared over, and there was no longer a national or regional risk of outbreak. The virus outbreak was confined to the Likati region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, infected eight people, and caused four deaths.
In-Depth Overview
In early April 2017, a man from the Bas-Uélé province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) visited a traditional healer to seek treatment for an illness he had developed. When he did not get better, he took a taxi to a health center in the remote Likati region of northern DRC, but he died along the way. Later, his driver and another person who was caring for him also succumbed to the virus, which causes fever, bleeding, vomiting, and diarrhea and has a mortality rate of 50 percent or greater on average. The health center at which he was supposed to be treated suspected Ebola and sent out samples to be confirmed. On May 11, 2017, the lab confirmed their suspicions, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) that they were facing an Ebola outbreak.
The risk for national outbreak was considered high, due to the isolated nature of the virus’ location and the difficulty in transporting patients from the area to regional hospitals. The WHO, criticized for its slow response to the West African Ebola Outbreak of 2014–16, which killed some 11,000 people, was quick to respond to the DRC outbreak. Despite the affected area being a densely forested and isolated region, the WHO was able to fly supplies and medical personnel out by helicopter to assist with the outbreak almost immediately. Mobile diagnostic laboratories capable of testing for Ebola were set up, and patients were able to be airlifted to better medical facilities.
The remoteness of the region in which the outbreak occurred was both a hindrance and a help in containing the event. The Likati region lacks roads or, in many cases, paths that can accommodate vehicles larger than motorbikes, making it difficult to bring in assistance, but this isolation was also seen as preventing the disease from spreading to larger populations. The WHO did not recommend any international travel restrictions in response to the outbreak, although nine countries—Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—began screening travelers at airports and border crossings. Rwanda, which borders the DRC to the east, also began denying entry to people with a fever from the affected parts of the DRC. International organizations and the DRC government considered deploying an unlicensed vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck to combat the virus, but because the outbreak was so swiftly contained, the vaccine was not needed.
The 2017 outbreak ended up being much less serious than the 2014 West African outbreak, thanks to its being confined to a limited area and to swift handling and a coordinated, decisive response by local authorities and the WHO. By the time the last patient tested negative two times in early July 2017, the outbreak had been contained to eight people and claimed four lives.
The 2017 outbreak was the DRC’s eighth since the virus was first identified in 1976, during simultaneous outbreaks in the DRC and South Sudan. The 2014–16 West African outbreak was the worst in the world to date. Despite the chronic violence and political instability that afflicts the DRC, international health officials have praised the country’s learned ability to respond to Ebola. The DRC experienced its own Ebola outbreak in 2014—a different strain from the one that ravaged West Africa—but that outbreak was limited to sixty-six cases and forty-nine deaths, versus thousands of deaths in West African countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone. The DRC would experience additional Ebola outbreaks in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Key Figures
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: World Health Organization director-general
Peter Salama: Executive director, World Health Organization health emergencies program
Oly Ilunga Kalenga: Democratic Republic of the Congo minister of health
Bibliography
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Cohen, J., & Vogel, G. (2017, May 24). Vaccine could soon be enlisted in the fight against Ebola in the DRC. Science. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/vaccine-could-soon-be-enlisted-fight-against-ebola-drc
Ebola Virus Disease: Democratic Republic of the Congo. World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/255645/1/EbolaDRC-09062017.pdf
Ebola (Ebola virus disease): 2017 Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bas Uélé District. (2017, July 28). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/drc/2017-may.html
Grady, D. (2017, May 18). Suspected cases of Ebola rise to 29 in Democratic Republic of Congo. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/18/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-congo-virus.html
Yong, E. (2017, June 3). How the Democratic Republic of the Congo beat Ebola in 42 days. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/07/how-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-beat-ebola-in-42-days/532590/
World Health Organization (WHO). (2023). Ebola outbreak 2017 - Bas-Uélé. World Health Organization. Retrieved Sept. 23, 2023, from https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/ebola-outbreak-2017---drc