Eighty people have died in a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province, the country’s health ministry said late on Friday.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba said in a statement that samples tested on Thursday confirmed eight cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in the health zones of Rwampara, Mongwalu and Bunia.
So far, there have been 246 suspected cases of the virus, the ministry said. The suspected index case was a nurse who died at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia after showing symptoms including fever, bleeding, vomiting and severe weakness.
The government has activated its public health emergency operations centre, strengthened epidemiological and laboratory surveillance, and deployed rapid response teams.
Africa’s top public health agency earlier confirmed an Ebola outbreak in Ituri province, reporting a death toll of 65 at the time.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and global partners to strengthen cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts.
It said deaths and suspected cases had been reported mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara, while four deaths were recorded among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital.
The agency noted that initial findings suggested a non-Zaire strain of the virus, with sequencing ongoing to further characterise it.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the Congolese virologist who co-discovered Ebola and heads the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, said most of the country’s previous outbreaks had been caused by the Zaire strain, meaning the identification of a different variant could complicate response efforts.
He said existing vaccines and treatments were primarily developed against the Zaire strain.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said rapid regional coordination was essential, given high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was alerted to suspected cases on May 5 and deployed a team to Ituri to assist investigations. Initial field samples tested negative, but laboratory tests in Kinshasa later confirmed positive cases.
The WHO has released $500,000 from its emergency contingency fund to support surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing and clinical care.
The outbreak comes amid worsening insecurity in Ituri, where clashes between rival militia groups have displaced communities and strained already overwhelmed health facilities.
The outbreak is the 17th in the DRC since Ebola was first identified in 1976. The country’s most recent outbreak in Kasai province was declared over on December 1 after three months.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated materials.
