GENEVA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed Wednesday "cautious optimism" as the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been "largely contained" with no new cases of the disease confirmed since the last known sufferer died on June 9.
In a latest situation report on the DRC Ebola outbreak, the WHO said the situation in Bikoro and Wangata health zones in Mbandaka city, the million-population urban area where Ebola cases were confirmed, has remained calm since mid-May 2018 when the last confirmed Ebola cases were reported.
The WHO and local health authorities have identified all potential transmission chains and all new suspected cases. The contact tracing system is working effectively, while community engagement in remote places has deepened.
Despite the progress, the WHO said there should be no room for laxity and complacency until the outbreak is controlled.
Since the beginning of the outbreak on April 4, a total of 62 Ebola cases and 28 deaths had been reported as of June 17. Of the 62 cases, 38 have been laboratory confirmed, 14 are probable and 10 suspected. Of the 52 confirmed and probable cases, 28 have died, giving a case fatality rate of 54 percent. As of June 17, a total of 289 contacts were under follow up, of which 276 or 96 percent were reached on the reporting date.
The WHO still considers the public health risk to be very high at the national level.
The confirmed case in Mbandaka, a large urban center located on a major national and international river with road and air transport axes, increases the risk of both local propagation and further spread within the DRC and to neighboring countries. The risk at the regional level is therefore considered high, while the risk at global level is currently considered low.
Earlier in May, the WHO decided that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC had not met conditions for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, but maintained that if the outbreak expands significantly, or if there is international spread, the situation and the risk assessment will be re-evaluated.
