DR Congo Confirms Fresh Ebola Outbreak as Death Toll Reaches 80
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba announced late Friday that laboratory tests conducted on Thursday confirmed eight cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in the health zones of Rwampara, Mongwalu and Bunia.
Authorities said 246 suspected infections have so far been recorded. The suspected first victim was a nurse at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia who died after developing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, bleeding and extreme weakness.
In response to the outbreak, the Congolese government has activated its emergency public health operations centre, intensified disease surveillance and deployed rapid response teams to affected areas.
Earlier Friday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also confirmed the outbreak, reporting at least 65 deaths at the time and warning about the risk of the virus spreading across borders.
The agency said most suspected cases and deaths were reported in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with additional cases emerging in Bunia, the provincial capital.
According to Africa CDC, preliminary investigations indicate the outbreak involves a non-Zaire strain of Ebola, while further genetic sequencing is ongoing.
Renowned Congolese virologist Jean-Jacques Muyembe, who co-discovered Ebola, said nearly all of Congo’s previous outbreaks were linked to the Zaire strain, making the emergence of another variant more difficult to manage.
He explained that current vaccines and treatments were largely developed to combat the Zaire strain, potentially limiting their effectiveness against the Bundibugyo variant.
Africa CDC warned that the outbreak poses a significant threat because of the dense population in Bunia and surrounding areas, as well as frequent movement linked to mining activities near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya called for urgent regional cooperation to contain the virus and strengthen border surveillance.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s health ministry confirmed that a Congolese man infected with the Bundibugyo strain died in Kampala. Officials said the case was imported from Congo and that no local transmission had been detected.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO first received reports of suspected Ebola cases on May 5 and immediately sent a team to Ituri to assist investigations.
Although early field samples tested negative, a laboratory in Kinshasa later confirmed positive results on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed Ebola cases to 13.
The WHO has since released $500,000 from its emergency contingency fund to support response efforts, including laboratory testing, contact tracing, patient care and surveillance activities.
The outbreak is occurring amid worsening insecurity in Ituri province, where recent clashes between rival militia groups have displaced communities and strained already fragile health services.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières recently warned that overcrowded displacement camps and poor sanitation conditions could increase the risk of disease outbreaks in the region.
This marks Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. The most recent outbreak, declared over in December last year in Kasai province, recorded 64 cases and 45 deaths.
Ebola is a severe viral disease spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials, or the bodies of people who have died from the illness.
