West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (21-27 February 2023)

Cameroon

About 11 persons suspected to have Marburg virus

As of 23 February, 11 persons suspected to have Marburg virus, a highly infectious and deadly disease, tested negative in Cameroon. However, there are 31 health districts at high risk of the Marburg virus in the South, Centre, South-West, East and Littoral regions. The Ministry of Public Health in Cameroon, jointly with humanitarian organizations, are ready to respond to the disease, and a preparedness and response plan is underway. On 13 February, according to the World Health Organization, neighbouring Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of the Marburg virus following the death of at least nine people. Guinea quarantined over 200 people the week before in its western Kie-Ntem province, where 16 persons were suspected of having the virus.
Consequently, authorities in Cameroon restricted the movement of people across the borders between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

Chad

Chad takes measures to control the Marburg virus outbreak

On 18 February, the Ministry of Public Health and Prevention announced its plan to address the detection of the Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea and possibly Cameroon. Since Chad shares borders with Cameroon, where several suspected cases of the virus are under investigation, the Chadian government has decided to activate a contingency plan and increase vigilance at the country’s entry points. It has also warned people about the often-deadly symptoms of the virus, which can also be transmitted through contact with infected animals.

DR Congo

Spike in Measles cases in North Kivu

Health authorities have reported an increase in Measles cases in the eastern North Kivu province, where over 6,400 cases, including 36 deaths, have been registered since January. The hardest hit zones in North-Kivu are Mweso town and Oïcha city, where vaccination campaigns have already been carried out. The increase in cases in Mweso is attributed to the influx of internally displaced persons from unvaccinated areas, as fighting continues in Masisi and Rutshuru territories. Health authorities and humanitarian organizations are responding to the disease and securing treatment for infected people to constrain the disease.

Burkina Faso

Conflict increases displacement on in the southern region

On 23 February, Burkina Faso's National Emergency Response and Rehabilitation Council announced that an additional 56,401 people were registered as internally displaced persons, bringing the total to 1,938,792 people. 75 per cent of the displaced are registered in the Sahel,
Centre-Nord, Nord, and Est regions.
Moreover, on 22 February, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, warned about the rise of Burkinabe people seeking refuge in neighboring Togo, Ghana, Benin, and Ivory Coast, with 23,000 arrivals fleeing the conflict and seeking refuge there. This adds to the 26,991 Burkinabe refugees and asylum-seekers registered in Mali.