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 a remote region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (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.

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

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

Preliminary laboratory results have reportedly detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested. The outbreak comes about five months after the DRC’s last Ebola bout was declared to be over, leaving 43 people dead.

Africa CDC expressed concern over 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.

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.

‘Immediate priorities’

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.

“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.

“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,” it added in its statement.

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.