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Africa’s leading public health agency has confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following reports of 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases in the remote Ituri province. Authorities are currently investigating whether the outbreak involves the Ebola Zaire strain-the deadliest and most notorious form of the virus-or another variant, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Neighboring Uganda has also reported an Ebola-related death linked to a Congolese man, with officials stating the case was imported from Congo. The outbreak has been primarily centered in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones in eastern Congo, near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan. Officials have expressed concern that this area could pose a regional transmission risk due to factors such as mining-related travel, weak infrastructure, and ongoing insecurity.
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease transmitted through bodily fluids like blood, vomit, and semen. Symptoms typically include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and internal bleeding.
So far, only four deaths have been laboratory confirmed, with testing and genetic sequencing ongoing to identify the specific strain responsible for the outbreak. Early results suggest the virus may not be the Ebola Zaire strain that caused Congo’s devastating epidemic from 2018 to 2020, which resulted in over 1,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) dispatched a response team last week to assist local health authorities with investigation and sample collection. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Congo’s strong history of responding to Ebola outbreaks and announced the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
Congo currently maintains stockpiles of Ebola treatments and about 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine. However, officials cautioned that this vaccine is effective only against the Ebola Zaire strain and not against other variants like Sudan or Bundibugyo.
This latest outbreak marks the 17th recorded Ebola incident in Congo since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976, underscoring the ongoing public health challenge posed by this deadly disease in the region.