One case of Ebola has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Likati Health Zone of Bas-Uele Province in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A total of nine cases, including three deaths so far, are being investigated.
On Saturday, May 13, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will send a 14-person team comprising doctors, nurses, logisticians, water and sanitation experts, health promoters, and an epidemiologist to Likati to launch an emergency intervention, in coordination with a 10-person team from the Congolese Ministry of Health.
Along with organizations already present in the area, the MSF emergency team will conduct an assessment of the situation and may construct an Ebola treatment center and help care for those suspected or confirmed to be affected by the virus. If required, MSF may also assist local health posts with the triage and referral of suspected Ebola patients.
Fifteen metric tons of medical and logistical supplies will be sent by cargo plane from Kinshasa to allow the team to immediately begin their intervention in Likati.
