Description of the situation
25 November 1996
Disease Outbreak Reported
The Ministry of Health and Population reported on 19 November that the role of the Ebola virus in the recent outbreak of haemorrhagic fever in the Booué region had been confirmed by isolation by the WHO Collaborating Centre at the Pasteur Institute, Paris. The isolates were very similar to those isolated from the blood of patients in Mayibout in February 1996. Serological results of IgG and IgM ELISA tests showed that infection without clinical symptoms occurred among the contacts.
As at 25 November, 27 cases have been identified in the outbreak which started in late July. This includes two fatal cases detected through contract tracing of the Gabonese patient treated in South Africa in October. The total number of deaths is 19, the last death dates back to 5 November. The declaration of the end of the outbreak will be 42 days after the last death, i.e. 17 December if no further deaths are registered.