A new Ebola outbreak is striking the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced on Friday an outbreak in Ituri province, in the eastern part of the country.
The African public health agency reports approximately 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths, mainly in the mining areas of Mongwalu and Rwampara. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province.
Preliminary analyses conducted by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa have confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested. Health authorities are working to identify the exact strain responsible for this new outbreak, with early results suggesting it may be a strain other than the Zaire strain, for which vaccines are available. Fuller genetic sequencing results are expected within the next 24 hours.
The Africa CDC has expressed concern about the risk of the outbreak spreading due to mining activity in the region, population movements, and insecurity. Ituri's proximity to Uganda and South Sudan raises concerns about cross-border spread.
An emergency meeting, convened by the Africa CDC, is being held this Friday with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, as well as international partners. The goal is to coordinate response measures, strengthen epidemiological surveillance, and limit the risk of regional spread.
The Ebola virus, discovered in the DRC in 1976, is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals. It causes severe hemorrhagic fever and organ failure, with an average mortality rate of around 50%.
This new outbreak is the 17th recorded in the DRC. The previous Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared over about five months ago, after causing 43 deaths. The most serious Ebola outbreak in the DRC, which occurred between 2018 and 2020 in the east of the country, caused nearly 2,300 deaths. Efforts are now focused on identifying the exact viral strain in order to determine the best response strategy.
