Ebola haemorrhagic fever: alerts in Orientale Province

 Tuesday, August 14, 2012 9:18
The epidemic raging in border district of Kibari in Uganda threatens the east and north-eastern DRC. The Health Minister, Felix Kabange Numbi, has decided to move up a gear by adopting urgent measures to bar the way to the progress of the epidemic to the DRC. The decision to strengthen epidemiological surveillance against the disease is part of planned preventive actions. As of August 11, at least 60 victims whose death was recorded in the Republic of Uganda.
All the effort aims to prevent progression towards Aru, DRC border district. This strengthening of the surveillance is even more crucial that the cases presented as warnings were reported in Orientale Province. The actions recommended by the Ministry of Health focused around awareness and community mobilization at the borders, especially in the axis Beni-Butembo (North Kivu) and in the territories of Aru, Dungu and Isiro (Orientale province).
Another important announcement is the creation of a joint team involving experts from the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) and the organization Doctors Without Borders. Their mission is to take samples in the border areas to detect any suspected cases using appropriate equipment. To do their job safely, the team is equipped with protective equipment. "It is important that we can meet in the crisis committee to evaluate, analyze and take action in relation to the protection of the population. That is why it is important that we have this meeting epidemiological monitoring after which we took a series of measures, "said the minister.
In Kinshasa, where no alert is still being reported, it is time to evaluate the internal capacity to provide timely diagnosis that can not be disputed. Compared to this challenge, the health authority was keen to investigate the situation of operation of the National Institute of Biomedical Research. Felix Kabange Numbi visited the various departments of the National Laboratory (virology, entomology, bacteriology, biochemistry, parasitology, immunology and pathology).
A great event could change the lives of the institute in the coming months. "We will have a P3 level lab that was funded by WHO at the personal request of the Head of State, that after the last outbreak of Ebola in DRC. I came to visit the lab and see the space where this laboratory will be erected at the H3 level, "said the minister. As a reminder, of the 60 cases detected in Uganda, there were three health professionals.  http://7sur7.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35742:fievre-hemorragique-a-virus-ebola--des-alertes-dans-la-province-orientale&catid=8:depeche-de-brazzaville