As of 14 March 2003, the Ministry of Health
of the Republic of the Congo has reported 118 cases, (13 laboratory-confirmed
and 105 epidemiologically linked), including 106 deaths in the districts
of Mbomo and Kellé in Cuvette Ouest Département (see
previous report).
Laboratory confirmation was made by
the Centre International de Recherche Médicale à Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon.
In the Cuvette Ouest Département, the Ministry of Health, WHO and the international team continue to train health workers in the treatment of Ebola, to carry out contact tracing and provide essential medical equipment.
In Brazzaville, a workshop has been organized for training physicians and nurses working in the capital for clinical management of viral haemorrhagic fever patients.
The team of experts from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network , assisting the Ministry of Health in controlling the outbreak, include: the Bernhard- Nocht-Institut, Hamburg, Germany; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England; Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Holland), and the Washington State University, United States.
The national Red Cross Society is assisting with social mobilization, surveillance and case management activities.