The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s remote Ituri province, recording 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths and raising urgent concerns about cross-border spread.
Preliminary laboratory results detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested, with four deaths confirmed among laboratory-verified cases. Suspected infections have also been reported in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province near the border with Uganda, and are awaiting further confirmation.
“Rapid regional coordination is essential,” said Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, warning that intense population movement, mining-related mobility in the Mongwalu area, active insecurity and gaps in contact tracing all increase the likelihood of wider transmission.
The outbreak is Congo’s 17th since the disease first emerged there in 1976, arriving roughly five months after the country’s previous Ebola episode was declared over following 43 deaths.
Africa CDC convened an urgent high-level coordination meeting on Friday with health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, alongside United Nations (UN) agencies and key partners. The session focused on immediate response priorities, cross-border surveillance, laboratory support, infection prevention and safe dignified burials.
Ituri’s geography deepens the challenge. Poor road networks and its location more than 1,000 kilometres from the national capital Kinshasa slow the deployment of resources and personnel to affected communities.
The agency urged residents in affected and at-risk areas to report symptoms promptly, avoid contact with suspected cases and cooperate with response teams. Ebola spreads through bodily fluids including blood, vomit and semen, causing a rare but severe and frequently fatal illness.
