HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC CONGO: (EQUATEUR), REQUEST FOR

26 Jun 2009
Source: Relief Web / Radio Okapi [trans. by Mod.MPP, edited]
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JBRN-7TDDM9?OpenDocument>


DR Congo/Equateur: 4 dead, assessment of an epidemic of haemorrhagic fever
in Djolu
-------------------------------------
Eight cases of haemorrhagic fever have been reported since May [2009] in
the Djolu health area. According to the provincial medical inspector of
Equateur, 4 deaths have already been reported among persons under
treatment, as reported by radio okapi.net.

Patients have presented with the same signs: fever with bleeding from the
nose (epistaxis) and anus (hematochezia) and vomiting with blood
(hematemesis). But according to Dr Augustine Makaya, provincial medical
inspector, the viral etiology of this disease is not yet known. Blood
samples taken last Wednesday [?24 Jun 2009] on patients by a team from
Medecins sans Frontieres [Doctors Without Borders] in Kisangani, were sent
on the same day by plane to Kinshasa.

Pending the identification of this virus, the provincial branch of WHO /
Equateur has made a lot of drugs available to the Djolu Health department,
said the same source, to monitor health care personnel and family members
who were in contact with patients.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[It is interesting that this report on a probable outbreak of hemorrhagic
fever in Equateur Province Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is coming
on the heels of a similar report of a hemorrhagic fever in the region
referred to as Bas Congo (formerly known as Bas Zaire, and presently
referred to as Kongo Central -- see Undiagnosed fatalities - Congo DR:
(BC), hem fever susp, RFI 20090626.2326). In June of 2008, there were
reports of an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Boende, Equateur
Province. According to a map, Boende Equateur is 218 kilometres to the
south west of Djolu Equateur (see
<http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=maps+boende+Equateur&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=GAFJSqfmPMiztgf9uuGMCg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1>.

In addition to the outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in 2008, Equateur
Province has had outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in 2007 (along the
Tshuapa river) and in Yamabuku in 1976 (the Ebola river goes through
Equateur Province. The Yambuku outbreak was the 1st outbreak of Ebola
hemorrhagic fever identified, and at the time, Yambuku was situated in
Equateur Province).

Outbreaks of Marburg hemorrhagic fever have been identified in neighboring
Kasai Orientale Province as well.

More information on the above mentioned outbreak, as well as the earlier
posted outbreak of a hemorrhagic fever in Bas Congo DRC would be greatly
appreciated.

For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Djulo, Equateur Province, DRC,
with links to other recent ProMED-mail postings in surrounding areas, see
<http://healthmap.org/r/00uU>. - Mod.MPP]