An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed the lives of 65 individuals, according to health officials.
Authorities have reported 246 suspected cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever in the Ituri province, a region plagued by conflict and sharing its borders with Uganda and South Sudan.
In a related development, Uganda’s health ministry has confirmed its own Ebola outbreak. Tragically, a 59-year-old man succumbed to the disease in a Kampala hospital after traveling from the DRC.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has expressed concern over the potential for the virus to spread further. The Ituri province, known for its bustling mining towns, poses a significant challenge for controlling infectious diseases due to the constant movement of people.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal illness, transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals, including blood and vomit. The virus can also spread during funeral preparations involving deceased bodies.
According to Africa CDC, the DRC’s national research laboratory has confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples tested.
The DRC has had 16 outbreaks of Ebola since the virus was identified there in 1976. Typically it has been the Zaire strain of Ebola, for which vaccines are available. However, DRC health officials said the samples tested were of the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no licensed vaccine. There have been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo virus, in 2007 and 2012.
Africa CDC said it was convening an urgent meeting on Friday with authorities from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan as well as the World Health Organization and pharmaceutical companies.
“Africa CDC stands in solidarity with the government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they respond to this outbreak,” said Dr Jean Kaseya, the director general of Africa CDC. “Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential.”
Cases have been reported mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with suspected cases also reported in neighbouring Bunia.
Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton in the UK, said: “The Democratic Republic of the Congo often sees fatalities from Ebola. There is likely a perfect storm of factors that cause these regular outbreaks. Close human contact with animal reservoirs, most likely bats but possibly also primates, is one factor. Other concerns include the movement of people between rural and urban environments, the tropical climate and the high rainforest coverage.”
During the 2014-16 outbreak in west Africa there were an estimated 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths.
