Description of the situation
As of 6 May 2003, the Ministry of Health has reported 143 cases, including 128 deaths, in the districts of Mbomo and Kéllé in Cuvette Ouest Département ( see previous report ). Thirteen of the cases are laboratory confirmed and 130 are epidemiologically linked.
The two most recent deaths reported ocurred on the 22 April, one in the remote village of Ndjoukou (in Kéllé district) and the other in a forest camp near Kéllé town. Twenty-one contacts have been identified in Ndjoukou and Kéllé town and are being visited on a regular basis by the surveillance team.
The Ministry of Health and the Congolese Red Cross are continuing their activities (social mobilization, surveillance and case management) in the affected areas.