Attachments
TIMELINE
-
6 February 2023: 9 suspicious deaths are reported to the Ministry of Health of Equatorial Guinea, with symptoms similar to viral hemorrhagic fever infection.
-
13 February 2023: Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Health officially declares an outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease, after one test result turned positive. This is the first MVD in the country.
-
16 February 2023: The IFRC deploys experts to the affected area to support RCEG in setting up the response, including Health, CEA, Operations, and support services.
-
23 February 2023: 299,929 CHF allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) to ensure resources to respond.
-
23 February 2023: IFRC Surge Capacity enacted – Public Health, Safe and Dignified Burials, CEA, Logistics, Finance. Staff started supporting remotely waiting for visas.
-
21 March 2023: 8 new cases and 20 deaths are reported by the Ministry of Health. The cases are spread to all provinces of mainland Equatorial Guinea.
-
25 March 2023: Following the increasing number of community deaths and the geographic spread of the virus, the IFRC issued an Emergency Appeal seeking 3 million CHF for 380,000 people.
-
15 May 2023: The authorities announce there are no new cases.
-
8 June 2023: The outbreak was declared over after no new cases had been reported for 42 days.
-
31 December 2023: The activities and funds from the Emergency Appeal will transition and be part of the Equatorial Guinea Unified Plan 2024.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT
On 13 February 2023, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Equatorial Guinea received reports of a cluster of deaths due to an unknown illness in two northeastern districts of the continental region of Equatorial Guinea (Nsok-Nsomo and Ebebiyin). A total of nine people died from 7 January to 6 February with symptoms like a viral hemorrhagic fever infection. On 13 February, the MoH declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD), a highly virulent viral haemorrhagic fever. It was the first time the disease had been detected in the country.
Samples were collected and sent for testing in Dakar, Senegal. One tested positive for Marburg virus disease (MVD). According to government information, initial alerts and deaths were traced back to public events which, according to local religious and cultural customs, brought together dozens of people.
The most affected area was Bata, the most populous city in Equatorial Guinea with approximately 300,000 people. National response coordination moved to Bata under instructions of the Ministry of Health. This included all sub-commissions.
The outbreak lasted for four months and affected five districts in four of Equatorial Guinea's eight provinces. A total of 17 laboratory-confirmed cases (5 healthcare workers) and 12 deaths were recorded. All the 23 probable cases reported died. Four patients recovered from the virus.
On 26 April 2023, the last confirmed case of MVD left the treatment centre after testing negative for MVD twice. No new confirmed cases have been reported since then. The outbreak was declared over on 8 June 2023, after no new cases had been reported for 42 days.
At the request of the Ministry of Health, several agencies deployed to the affected area in Equatorial Guinea to support the set-up of the response, including the Equatorial Guinea Red Cross Society (EGRCS) and IFRC, with an initial DREF allocation. This included setting up surveillance systems, case management, infection prevention and control, laboratory capacities, and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE).
The World Health Organization (WHO) praised the Equatorial Guinean government for its swift and effective response to the outbreak. The WHO also noted that the outbreak was a reminder of the importance of preparedness for epidemics and pandemics.