The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri, where at least 80 people have died and hundreds of suspected cases are under investigation, authorities said Friday.
Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba said laboratory tests confirmed eight cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in the health zones of Rwampara, Mongwalu and Bunia.
The health ministry said 246 suspected cases have so far been recorded. Officials identified the suspected index case as a nurse who died at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia after suffering symptoms including fever, bleeding, vomiting and severe weakness.
Congolese authorities said emergency response measures had already been activated, including expanded epidemiological surveillance, laboratory testing and the rapid deployment of health teams to affected areas.
Earlier Friday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak and warned of the risk of regional spread due to high population movement near the borders with Uganda and South Sudan.
Africa CDC said most deaths and suspected cases were concentrated in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with additional suspected cases reported in Bunia, the provincial capital.
The agency also said preliminary findings suggested the outbreak involves a non-Zaire strain of the virus, with further genetic sequencing underway.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the Congolese virologist credited with co-discovering Ebola, told Reuters the emergence of a different strain could complicate containment efforts because existing vaccines and treatments were primarily developed for the Zaire variant.
“Africa CDC is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara,” the agency said, citing intense cross-border movement and mining-related mobility in the region.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya called for urgent regional coordination to prevent further transmission.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s health ministry confirmed that a Congolese man infected with the Bundibugyo strain died in Kampala. Authorities said the case was imported from Congo and no local transmission had yet been detected.
The World Health Organization said it first learned of suspected Ebola cases in Ituri on May 5 and sent investigation teams to the province. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a laboratory in Kinshasa confirmed positive samples on Thursday, bringing the number of confirmed infections to 13.
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 civilians and strained already fragile health services.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières warned earlier this month that overcrowded displacement sites and deteriorating hygiene conditions were increasing the risk of disease outbreaks across the province.
Ebola, first identified in Congo in 1976, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials. This marks the country’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak.