Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Friday.
According to the health agency, approximately 246 cases and 65 deaths have been reported, mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara. CDC Africa added that it was arranging a meeting with the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and other international partners to discuss response efforts and cross-border surveillance.
Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in the DRC, and is believed to have spread from bats. This is currently the 17th outbreak of the virus in a country already facing one of the largest humanitarian crisis in Africa in recent years.
The virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, and sore throat. No cure has been found for the deadly disease so far.
The Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale (INRB) in Kinshasa conducted preliminary tests that identified the virus in 13 of 20 samples, which were examined after consultations with the DRC Ministry of Health and National Public Institute.
CDC Africa said that out of the 65 deaths, four were among the lab-confirmed cases. Additional suspected cases have been reported in Ituri’s capital Bunia, which are awaiting laboratory confirmation.
Ituri has been under military rule since 2021, when a military general overthrew the civilian authority to fight several armed groups, including the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The DRC government has not yet declared an outbreak officially. However, an official told the BBC that a press conference was expected on late Friday.
The African continent has seen over 50,000 deaths from the virus across different countries in the last 50 years. In DRC, the deadliest outbreak was between 2018 and 2020, with an estimated death toll of almost 2,300.
The country’s central Kasai province was also hit by an Ebola outbreak last year, killing 45 people.
