On May 8, 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared that the Bikoro health zone, in Equateur province, was the scene of an Ebola outbreak. The "Ebola" disease sheet of the Institut Pasteur has just been updated.
This new epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a major risk for the local population. This news is an opportunity to recall that Ebola virus disease is a severe acute viral disease, the main features of which are:
- Incubation time: very variable, from 3 to 21 days.
- First "flu-like" symptoms: sudden onset of fever over 38 ° C, severe weakness, muscle pain, headache, nausea, throat irritation.
- More specific symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, rash, kidney and liver damage, in some cases internal and external bleeding.
- Diagnosis: confirmed by laboratory tests; sample analysis is performed under extremely stringent containment conditions.
Consult our disease sheet to learn more
The current epidemic in the DRC is the ninth outbreak of Ebola virus (EVD) in the country in 40 years since the virus was discovered in 1976. The latest outbreak in the DRC was in May 2017.
As of May 18, 2018, 45 cases have been reported: 14 confirmed, 21 probable and 10 suspected. The death toll is today at 25 people. These data are updated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and are available on the organization's website.
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