The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continent's leading public health agency, confirmed on Friday a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the remote Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). To date, 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been recorded.
The majority of these suspected cases and fatalities have been reported in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, according to a statement released by the Africa CDC.
Ebola is a highly contagious virus transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare but severe and often fatal, with a high case fatality rate.
Among laboratory-confirmed cases, four deaths have been reported. Suspected cases have also been identified in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province located near the border with Uganda, pending laboratory confirmation. Preliminary laboratory results have detected the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples tested.
This latest outbreak comes approximately five months after the DRC declared an end to its previous Ebola outbreak, which resulted in 43 deaths.
Ituri province is situated in the eastern part of the DRC, characterized by poor road infrastructure and located more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa.
The Africa CDC expressed concern about the risk of further spread due to several factors: intense population movement, mining-related mobility in Mongwalu, insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact tracing, and control challenges. The proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan also raises concerns about cross-border transmission.
In response, the Africa CDC is convening an urgent high-level coordination meeting on Friday with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, along with key partners including United Nations agencies and other countries.
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 mobilization.
History of Ebola Outbreaks in DRC
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the disease was first identified in the country in 1976. An earlier outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in eastern DRC killed more than 1,000 people. Additionally, the West African epidemic from 2014 to 2016 resulted in over 11,000 deaths.
The new outbreak adds to the challenges faced by the Central African nation, which is already grappling with violence from various armed groups in the east, including the M23 rebel group that launched a rapid assault in January last year and has since occupied key cities.
Ituri province is also experiencing violence from the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic State-linked militant group that has killed dozens in the region and elsewhere in the east.
The DRC, Africa's second-largest country by land area, frequently encounters logistical obstacles in responding to disease outbreaks. During last year's outbreak, which lasted three months, the World Health Organization (WHO) initially faced significant difficulties in delivering vaccines due to limited access and scarce funds.
