Congo announces 17th Ebola outbreak with '246 reported cases, 80 recorded deaths'

Article by Viory

New Ebola Outbreak

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially declared its 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was identified in 1976, with “246 reported cases and 80 recorded deaths” in the country’s eastern Ituri province.

Speaking in Kinshasa on Friday, DRC Minister of Communication and Media Patrick Muyaya Katembwe gave an update on the measures being taken to address the crisis following an “investigative report for the Mongwalu, Rwampara, and Bunia health zones in Ituri province.”

“Sequencing confirmed the Bundibudio strain,” he explained, noting that further samples are en route from Ituri province to the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa for analysis.

Emergency Response Measures

“In light of these findings, the government, through its Ministry of Health, is able to declare that during the 17th Ebola virus disease epidemic, emergency measures were taken immediately, notably for the development of contact lists to initiate tracing, initial awareness-raising of community and religious leaders to counter rumours of mystical diseases, and the implementation of infection prevention and control measures in local healthcare facilities despite the difficulty of implementation,” he continued.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned over the risk of the virus spreading locally and regionally, due to the urban nature of cities like Bunia and the significant cross-border movement between eastern DRC and neighbouring countries. Africa CDC has called for local and regional coordination to address the outbreak, which is exacerbated by the impact of the ongoing violence in the eastern regions caused by decades of conflict, leading to large displaced populations and damaged infrastructure.

Regional Health Concerns

On Friday, Uganda also reported an Ebola case, after a man that had travelled from the DRC died on Thursday.

In December, the 16th Ebola outbreak was declared at an end, having infected at least 64 people and causing 45 deaths in the DRC, while over 47,000 people were vaccinated during the response.

During the country’s deadliest outbreak between 2018 and 2020, almost 2,300 people died.

Article by Viory