KINSHASA, Congo — Africa’s top public health agency on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded.
The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that deaths and suspected cases were mainly recorded in the Monwar and Rwanpara health zones.
Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted through body fluids such as vomit, blood, and semen. The illness it causes is rare but serious and often fatal.
“Four deaths have been reported among the laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspicious cases have also been reported in Bunia, which is being confirmed,” the agency said, referring to the capital of Ituri region near the border with Uganda.
Preliminary test results showed that Ebola virus was detected in 13 out of 20 samples. The results suggest a non-Ebola strain of the virus, and sequencing is underway to further characterize this strain, officials said. Ebola Zaire strains have been prominent in past outbreaks in Congo.
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The World Health Organization said last year that Congo has a stockpile of therapeutic drugs and about 2,000 doses of the Elbevo Ebola vaccine, which is effective against the Ebola-Zaire strain of the virus.
The Africa CDC said results confirming the strain in the new outbreak are expected within 24 hours.
The current outbreak comes about five months after the previous Ebola outbreak in Congo was declared over after 43 people died.
Ituri is located in a remote area in eastern Congo, with an undeveloped road network and more than 1,000 kilometers from the capital Kinshasa.
Africa CDC said it is concerned about the risk of further spread due to heavy population movements, mining-related displacement in Monwar, deteriorating security in affected areas, and gaps in contact lists and administrative challenges.
The proximity of the affected area to Uganda and South Sudan is also causing concern.
The agency announced on Friday that it would hold an emergency high-level coordination meeting with key partners, including health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, 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.”
More than a dozen Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Congo.
This is the 17th outbreak in Congo since the disease first appeared in Congo in 1976. From 2018 to 2020, an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo killed more than 1,000 people. The WHO said the outbreak was characterized by the Ebola strain.
A previous outbreak that struck across West Africa from 2014 to 2016 also killed more than 11,000 people.
The new outbreak will cause further anxiety for the central African country, which is battling various armed groups in its east, including rebel group M23, which launched a rapid offensive last January and has since taken over major cities.
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Ituri, in particular, is also battling violence from the Democratic Alliance, an Islamic State-linked militant group that has killed dozens of people in the country and other parts of the east.
Congo is Africa’s second-largest country by land area, but it often faces logistical challenges in responding to disease outbreaks. During last year’s outbreak, which lasted three months, the World Health Organization initially faced major challenges in distributing vaccines due to limited access and lack of funding.
Dr. Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health who was involved in the response to previous Ebola outbreaks in Congo, said the country and its health workers on the ground have a high level of experience from previous outbreaks, as well as existing infrastructure such as laboratories.
“When it comes to training, people already know what they are capable of. Now we need to deliver the expertise and equipment quickly,” Nsakala added.
