Aug. 1 marks one year since the Democratic Republic of the Congo's government declared an Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province, and the country still needs urgent aid from the international community, according to a joint statement from the World Health Organization, the United Nations, UNICEF and the World Food Programme released July 31.
The virus was declared a public health emergency of international concern just two weeks ago, the statement's authors noted, and a new case was confirmed in Goma on July 30. The case in Goma, an international city with a dense population, highlights the risk of the disease spreading as well as the urgent need for a heightened global response to the outbreak, the authors wrote.
There have been over 2,600 confirmed cases and 1,800 deaths from Ebola over the past year. "Almost one in three 'cases' is a child," the authors said. "Every single 'case' is someone who has gone through an unimaginable ordeal." They particularly thanked the mostly Congolese healthcare workers combating the disease, who face insecure working conditions due to violence in the region.
The authors listed the following statistics to demonstrate the work that has been done so far to combat Ebola:
- Over 170,000 people have been vaccinated.
- 1,300 people have been treated with investigational therapies at 14 treatment and transit centers.
- National and international travelers have undergone 77 million screenings.
- 20,000 contacts have been visited daily for health monitoring.
- Over 10,000 handwashing sites have been installed in critical locations.
- Over 2,000 community engagement workers are working in affected areas to gain trust and encourage local action.
Click here to read more of these statistics.