Ebola in the DRC – October 2019 Update

Case figures as of 15th of October 2019: Confirmed: 3113, Probable: 114 Suspected: 411, Fatalities: 2152 If the recent figures are an accurate assessment of the Ebola virus outbreak in the eastern DRC, then it may be that an end to the second deadliest outbreak of EVD is within sight. Data released by the DRC health authorities through […]

External resources overview

The following resources promote and facilitate various aspects of evidence-based, community-engaged humanitarian aid. This collection will be updated as new resources become available. If you have any questions about these resources or would like to suggest a new addition to the collection, please contact us. Please note that Research-Aid Networks provides the links and descriptions, all […]

Ebola Virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will soon enter its second year. Beginning on 28 July 2018, the latest WHO estimates put the confirmed death toll at just under 1,500, with over 2,000 confirmed cases as of 24 June.  The largest known EVD outbreak occurred in […]

New Developments in the DRC Ebola Virus Outbreak

As the current Ebola virus outbreak in the DRC approaches the one year mark, two new developments may dramatically shape the outbreak and response in the weeks and months to come. On 14 July, the first Ebola virus disease (EVD) case was identified in the city of Goma, the capital and largest city of the […]

Emerging Ebolavirus Therapies

The ongoing Ebolavirus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is the first to use experimental vaccinations and drug therapies from the start of the outbreak.  Ebolavirus infection is now a candidate disease under the World Health Organization’s Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered and Investigational Interventions (MEURI), and compassionate […]

Continuing challenges in delivering effective aid

It has been just over one year since the first reported case of Ebola in North Kivu province of the DRC, and the outbreak is showing no signs of slowing down. Figures released on the 17thof July by the DRC health ministry put the number of confirmed cases at over 2,400, with 1,600 deaths confirmed from […]

A chaotic start to recovery in the Bahamas

On the 1st of September 2019, the Category 5 hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco islands in the northern Bahamas, with over 24 hours of extremely high sustained winds, with maximum strengths of 185 miles per hour. The effects of Dorian were compounded by the storm stalling over the islands, increasing the duration of the storm damage. […]

Ebola: a tale of two outbreaks

The two most severe outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD) have occurred within the last five years, in Libera, Sierra Leone and Guinea between 2014 and 2016, and the current outbreak raging in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The outbreaks share some close similarities, but also stark differences in how containment, treatment and […]

Social medicine – Ebola in minds and the media

Ask a member of the public what they know about Ebola and they may describe the disease from what they’ve seen from film, TV and books.  They may also recall hearing about the 2014-16 West Africa outbreak, and especially for members of the US public, the case of Thomas Eric Duncan who died in Texas […]