Africa CDC dispatches 18 volunteers to DRC as Ebola death toll rises

Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dispatched a team of volunteer epidemiologists, physicians, communication experts, injection prevention and control experts and data managers to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

As of June 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) had confirmed 37 cases of Ebola in the DRC and reported 25 deaths. There were 13 additional “probable” cases and three suspected cases.

Africa CDC dispatched the 18 Congolese volunteers on June 1 in four subgroups. The volunteers will be based in Mbandaka, headquarters of the Equator province of the DRC, Bikoro, Itipo, the center of the ongoing outbreak, and Iboko. The volunteers will work to support the Congolese government with epidemiological surveillance, case management, laboratory diagnostics, hygiene and sanitation, and public education and outreach activities.

The volunteers gained experience in previous Ebola outbreaks. They served in the African Union Support to the Ebola OUtbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak. They also took part in post-Ebola surveillance in the Bas-Uélé province of the DRC.