Health officials raise alarm over new Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

Health officials have raised the alarm over an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continent’s top public health body, said on Friday that it has recorded 246 suspected Ebola cases and 65 deaths in the Ituri province in the northeast of the country.

Hours later, neighbouring Uganda confirmed the outbreak of the disease there, reporting that one Congolese man had died in the capital Kampala after travelling from the DRC. The man was tested for Ebola after Kinshasa announced the outbreak, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said, adding that it had not yet confirmed a locally transmitted case of the virus.

Concern is high regarding the potential spread of Ebola, with efforts to control it complicated by a precarious security situation in the affected area in DRC, which sits on the border with Uganda and South Sudan.

The Congolese government struggles to secure the east of the country due to activity by armed groups seeking control of valuable mineral deposits.

Preliminary laboratory results from DRC have reportedly detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested.

“Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation,” Africa CDC said, referring to the capital of Ituri.

Ituri is in a remote eastern part of the DRC with poor road networks, and is more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa.

The outbreak comes about five months after the DRC’s last Ebola bout was declared to be over, leaving 43 people dead.

‘Immediate priorities’

Africa CDC expressed concern about the risk that the new outbreak could spread rapidly due to intense population movement, the poor security situation in affected areas, and control challenges.

The agency said it is convening an urgent high-level meeting with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, together with key partners, including UN agencies and other countries, to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is monitoring reports of ⁠Ebola in DRC and Uganda and providing technical assistance to their governments.

“CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks, and we are working closely with the DRC Ministry of Health through our country ⁠office to support our response efforts,” ⁠said acting Director Jay Bhattacharya.

“This morning, we also heard from the Government of Uganda confirming an Ebola outbreak there, and we are also ⁠coordinating with our country office in Uganda and our colleagues there to track and ⁠help with the outbreak there,” ⁠Bhattacharya told reporters on a media call on Friday.

First identified in 1976 and thought to have crossed over from bats, Ebola is a highly contagious and deadly disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.

The DRC has seen more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks, the deadliest coming between 2018 and 2020, killing nearly 2,300 people.

Security risks make efforts to control such outbreaks highly challenging. The eastern DRC has been plagued for decades by groups seeking control of the mineral-rich region. Last week, an attack by armed rebels in Ituri province killed at least 69 people.

Following a rapid assault by the M23 rebel group, supported by Rwanda, in January last year, the DRC government has struggled to regain control of key cities amid a fragile ceasefire.