Countries neighboring Congo are on high alert as the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the elevated risk of Ebola spreading beyond borders.
In the eastern Ituri province of Congo, a troubling Ebola outbreak has resulted in at least 87 fatalities, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). On Saturday, they cautioned about “active community transmission,” prompting health officials to ramp up screening and contact tracing efforts to curb the disease’s spread.
In response to the escalating situation, the WHO declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on Sunday. Although the outbreak, triggered by the Bundibugyo virus, does not yet meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO has warned that countries sharing borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) face a significant risk of further spread.
In a related development, Uganda confirmed an Ebola case on Friday, which officials reported as “imported” from Congo. The patient succumbed to the illness on May 14 at Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
As the situation unfolds, health authorities continue to work tirelessly to prevent the virus from crossing into new territories, emphasizing the need for vigilant monitoring and rapid response strategies.
The outbreak has spread to neighboring Uganda
Uganda confirmed Friday an Ebola case that authorities said was “imported” from Congo. The person died at the Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, on May 14.
The World Health Organization said the outbreak now constitutes as a “public health emergency of international concern.” This strengthens international response to the spread, surveillance and response, and means people infected with, or suspected to have been in contact with the disease should not travel.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had said it is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda’s Health Ministry said.
On Saturday, people were being screened at the entrance of the Kibuli Muslim Hospital.
Ismail Kigongo, who resides in Kampala, said the new outbreak reminded him of his father, whom he lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I really get scared because I remember burying my father without looking at his body,” he said.
Kenya, Uganda’s neighbor, said Saturday that there is only a “moderate risk of importation” of the Ebola virus due to regional travel. Kenya’s government said it has formed an Ebola preparedness team and has strengthened surveillance at all points of entry.
What locals are saying
Meanwhile, Associated Press journalists in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, interviewed locals who recounted their fears and constant burials.
“Every day, people are dying … and this has been going on for about a week. In a single day, we bury two, three or even more people,” said Jean Marc Asimwe, a resident of Bunia. “At this point, we don’t really know what kind of disease it is.”
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.
Officials first announced the latest outbreak in Congo on Friday with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases. By Saturday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected and 13 confirmed cases. Four people have died among the confirmed cases.
At an online briefing on Saturday, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the first cases were reported in Mongwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area. “Cases subsequently migrated to Rwampara and Bunia as patients sought medical care, enabling spread across three health zones,” he said.
A high number of active cases remain within the local community, particularly in Mongwalu, Kaseya said, “significantly complicating containment and contact tracing efforts.”
Insecurity in Ituri, where Islamic State-backed militants carry out rampant deadly attacks, continues to restrict surveillance and rapid response operations, he added.
Of the 87 deaths, 57 are in the Mongwalu health zone, 27 in the Rwampara health zone and three in Bunia, Ituri’s main city.
Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said late Friday that test results confirmed the Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the disease that has been less prominent in Congo’s past outbreaks. This is Congo’s 17th outbreak since Ebola first emerged in the country in 1976.
The suspected index case in the latest outbreak is a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia, Kamba said. He said the case dates back three weeks to April 24.
He did not say whether samples from the nurse were tested, but said the person presented symptoms suggestive of Ebola.
Congo is a large country that often faces logistical challenges
Congo has experience managing Ebola outbreaks but often faces logistical challenges in delivering expertise and supplies to affected regions.
As Africa’s second-largest country by land area, Congo’s provinces are far from one another and mostly battling conflict. Ituri, for instance, is around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, and is ravaged by violence from Islamic State-backed militants.
Only 13 blood samples have been tested at the National Institute of Biomedical Research; 8 tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain. The remaining five could not be analyzed due to insufficient sample volume, the health minister said.
In Bunia, Ituri’s main city, businesses and regular activities in public places appeared normal on Friday.
Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she hopes the outbreak is quickly contained. “My recommendation is that the government take this matter seriously and that it takes charge of the hospitals so that this matter can be brought under control,” she said.
Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria; Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo; Patrick Onen in Kampala, Uganda; and Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya contributed.
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