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WHO AFRO Outbreaks and Other Emergencies, Week 43: 20 - 26 October 2018 (Data as reported by 17:00; 26 October 2018)

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This Weekly Bulletin focuses on selected acute public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 55 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:

  • Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Cholera in Cameroon
  • Dengue in Senegal
  • Hepatitis E in Central African Republic.

For each of these events, a brief description, followed by public health measures implemented and an interpretation of the situation is provided.

A table is provided at the end of the bulletin with information on all new and ongoing public health events currently being monitored in the region, as well as events that have recently been closed.

Major issues and challenges include:

  • The Ebola virus disease situation in North Kivu and Ituri provinces continues to be of serious concern with a persistent increase in the incidence of cases, especially in Beni and Butembo, and the occurrence of cases near security ‘red zones’. Security incidents and community resistance continue to severely impact the work of frontline and health workers, often resulting in the suspension of response activities and increasing the risk that the outbreak spreading to neighbouring provinces and countries.

  • The dengue outbreak in Senegal has rapidly evolved, affecting several districts including Touba district in Diourbel region. The situation in Touba district is worsening; there has been a recent upsurge of confirmed cases and a new dengue serotype (DENV-3) has been identified. The occurrence of the Grand Magal celebration in Touba, which gathers over 3 million people, could increase the risk of spread of the DENV-3 serotype to other areas of the country.