KINSHASA: Health authorities have raised the alarm over an outbreak of the Ebola virus in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continent’s leading public health agency, reported on Friday that 246 suspected Ebola cases and 65 deaths have been recorded in Ituri province, located in the north-east of the country.
Concerns are high over the potential spread of the virus, with containment efforts complicated by a fragile security situation in the affected area, which borders Uganda and South Sudan.
The DRC government faces significant challenges in securing the eastern region due to the presence of armed groups seeking control of valuable mineral resources.
Preliminary laboratory tests have detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples analysed. This outbreak occurred roughly five months after the DRC declared the end of its previous Ebola outbreak, which claimed 43 lives.
Africa CDC has warned that the new outbreak could spread rapidly, citing intense population movements, poor security, and operational difficulties in the region.
The agency is convening an urgent high-level meeting with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, alongside key partners including UN agencies and other nations, to strengthen cross-border surveillance, preparedness, and response measures.
Ituri is a remote area in eastern DRC with poor road infrastructure, located more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa.
First identified in 1976 and believed to have originated from bats, Ebola is a highly contagious and deadly disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
“Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation,” Africa CDC said, referring to the capital of Ituri.
“The meeting will focus on immediate response priorities, cross-border coordination, surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and control, risk communication, safe and dignified burials, and resource mobilisation,” it added in its statement.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced over a dozen Ebola outbreaks, with the deadliest occurring between 2018 and 2020, claiming nearly 2,300 lives.
