According to the latest WHO Situation Report, since the beginning of the outbreak (April 4), a total of 50 EVD cases and 25 deaths have been reported.
Of the 50 cases, 37 have been laboratory confirmed and 13 are probable cases (deaths for which specimens were not obtained).
Beginning in a small rural village, some of the infected individuals travelled miles to Mbandaka, a large city (1.2 million), with access to major river, road and air transportation, increasing the risk of further spread.
The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine, found to be 100% effective when administered 10 days before exposure, and developed in large part by researchers at the Public Health Agency of Canada, has been given to over 1,000 people so far – including health workers; and contacts, and contact of contacts, of patients with EVD. (The vaccine was made available through Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, who had previously purchased 300,000 doses to have them available an emergency stockpile).
A recent Washington Post article highlights the importance of community engagement, the challenges in working in an areas relatively bereft of modern medical infrastructure, and the exceptional response of the DRC MoH and visiting teams from West Africa.
UBC Tropical Medicine 