Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on July 17 by the WHO. Daily developments including the spread to Goma and a confirmed case in Uganda led to the decision. The Emergency Committee made specific recommendations to mitigate the risk and increase surveillance associated with the virus for affected and unaffected countries. The WHO has called upon the international community to increase funding to support the ongoing response and strengthen preparedness in DRC and neighboring countries.
CRDF Global is actively supporting Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak response efforts through the deployment of an Ebola Technical Advisor. Our Technical Advisor, deployed since November 2018, to assist information sharing and collaboration between national and base-level Infection Control and Prevention (IPC) WASH commissions and develop pre-deployment orientations for Ministry of Health surge staff. CRDF Global’s Technical Advisor is actively supporting WHO efforts to establish a National IPC Taskforce, develop a national strategic response plan, and draft, update, and modify key guidelines, protocols, and standard operating procedures for various IPC interventions; and supervising response activities. CRDF Global’s Technical Advisor has been at the heart of the outbreak for much of her time in-country, including in Beni, Goma, and Kinshasa.
CRDF Global gratefully acknowledges the support of the United States Agency for International Development Office of Foreign Disaster and Assistance (USAID/OFDA) through Macfadden and PAE.