KINSHASA, Congo — On Friday, Africa’s leading public health organization announced a new Ebola outbreak in the remote Ituri province of Congo, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths reported thus far. Uganda subsequently reported a death linked to an Ebola case believed to have been imported from Congo.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated that most of the deaths and suspected cases occurred in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones.
Ebola virus is highly contagious, transmitted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. While the disease is rare, it is severe and often fatal.
The agency reported that “four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation,” referencing the capital of Ituri province near the Uganda border.
Laboratory tests have detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples, suggesting a strain different from the Ebola Zaire strain, which has been prevalent in past Congo outbreaks. More sequencing is underway to clarify this further.
On Friday, Uganda reported an Ebola case involving a Congolese man who had been hospitalized in Kampala three days before his death. Officials stated the case was imported from Congo, with no local cases confirmed in Uganda yet.
Uganda’s Health Ministry reported that samples from the patient, tested posthumously after the Ebola outbreak was confirmed in Congo, tested positive for Ebola. All identified contacts have been quarantined, including a high-risk relative of the deceased. The man’s body has been returned to Congo.
The World Health Organization noted last year that Congo maintains a stockpile of treatments and approximately 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, which is effective against the Ebola Zaire strain.
The Africa CDC expects results verifying the strain in the new outbreak within 24 hours.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, informed reporters that the WHO dispatched a team last week to assist Congo in probing the outbreak and collecting samples. Although initial findings did not confirm Ebola, a subsequent analysis on Thursday did.
Congo has demonstrated “a strong track record in Ebola response and control,” Tedros said, revealing that the WHO is releasing $500,000 to support Congo’s response efforts.
Affected areas are close to Uganda, South Sudan borders
The latest outbreak arises approximately five months following the declaration of the end of Congo’s previous Ebola outbreak, which resulted in 43 deaths.
Ituri, situated in a remote part of eastern Congo, is characterized by poor road infrastructure and lies over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa.
Africa CDC has expressed concern over the potential for further spread due to high population movement, mining-related mobility in Mongwalu, insecurity in the affected regions, gaps in contact tracing, and control challenges.
The close proximity of the affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan is also a cause for concern, according to the agency.
An urgent coordination meeting is being organized on Friday by the agency, involving health authorities from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, as well as key partners including U.N. agencies and other countries.
The meeting aims to address immediate response priorities such as cross-border coordination, surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and control, risk communication, safe and dignified burials, and resource mobilization.
Congo has seen more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in Congo since the disease first appeared in the country in 1976. The outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in eastern Congo resulted in over 1,000 deaths and was characterized by the Ebola Zaire strain, according to the WHO.
A previous outbreak that spread across West Africa from 2014 to 2016 claimed more than 11,000 lives.
The new outbreak adds to the Central African country’s challenges, which include ongoing conflicts with various armed groups in the east, such as the M23 rebel group that launched a rapid assault in January last year, occupying key cities.
Ituri also faces violence from the Allied Democratic Force, a militant group linked to the Islamic State, which has caused numerous fatalities in the region and other parts of the east.
Congo, the second-largest country in Africa by land area, often struggles with logistical challenges in addressing disease outbreaks. During the previous year’s outbreak, which lasted three months, the World Health Organization faced significant hurdles in delivering vaccines due to limited access and scarce funding.
Dr. Gabriel Nsakala, a public health professor involved in past Ebola responses in Congo, noted the country’s high level of experience and existing infrastructure such as laboratories.
“In terms of training, people already know what they can do. Now, the expertise and equipment need to be delivered quickly,” Nsakala stated.
Contributions to this report were made by Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria; Saleh Mwanamilongo in Bonn, Germany; Mark Banchereau in Dakar, Senegal; and Mike Stobbe in New York City.
