The health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) confirmed late on Friday that a fresh Ebola outbreak has claimed 80 lives in the eastern Ituri province.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba announced in a statement that laboratory tests conducted on Thursday identified eight cases of the Bundibugyo strain. The virus has surfaced in the health zones of Bunia, Mongwalu, and Rwampara, reports Reuters.
So far, authorities have recorded 246 suspected cases, with the suspected index case identified as a nurse who died at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia after exhibiting symptoms including bleeding, fever, and severe weakness.
In response to the crisis, the DRC government activated its public health emergency operations centre and ordered the immediate deployment of response teams to the affected areas.
While the health ministry reported 80 fatalities, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) earlier placed the death toll at 65. Africa CDC is now convening an urgent summit with South Sudan, Uganda, and Congo to bolster cross-border surveillance and preparedness efforts.
Initial findings indicate the presence of a non-Zaire strain of the virus, and scientists are currently performing sequencing to characterise the variant. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the Congolese virologist who co-discovered Ebola, told that “all but one of Congo’s 16 previous outbreaks had been caused by the Zaire strain.”
Experts warn that this different variant will complicate medical interventions, as existing vaccines and treatments were specifically developed to combat the Zaire strain.
Africa CDC highlighted significant risks regarding the spread of the virus due to the urban density of Rwampara and Bunia.
Moreover, intense population movement and mobility related to mining activities near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan have heightened concerns. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya stated, “Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential.”
Meanwhile, Uganda’s health ministry confirmed that a Congolese man died of the Bundibugyo strain in Kampala. Ugandan authorities maintained that the case was imported from Congo and that no local transmission has been confirmed within their borders.
