Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in the country’s eastern Ituri province, where at least 65 people have died and hundreds of suspected cases have been recorded.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said around 246 cases have been identified, mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara. The agency warned that the outbreak poses a serious regional threat due to heavy population movement and cross-border trade with neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan.
Preliminary laboratory tests carried out at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa detected the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 analysed samples. Authorities are continuing tests to determine the exact strain of the virus.
Africa CDC said four of the reported deaths were among laboratory-confirmed cases, while additional suspected infections have also emerged in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, pending further confirmation.
The continental health body announced it would convene emergency talks with Congolese officials, neighbouring countries and international partners to coordinate response efforts, strengthen surveillance and contain the spread of the disease.
Officials expressed concern over the outbreak’s location in densely populated urban centres and active mining zones, which could accelerate transmission. Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya warned that significant movement of people between affected areas and nearby countries increased the risk of wider regional spread.
Ebola, first identified in what is now DR Congo in 1976, spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
There is currently no universally approved cure for Ebola, although vaccines and treatments have been used in previous outbreaks. According to the World Health Organization, the disease has an average fatality rate of about 50%.
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in DR Congo. The country experienced its deadliest outbreak between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died.
Authorities have urged residents in affected areas to follow public health guidelines as response teams work to contain the outbreak. The Congolese government was expected to formally address the situation later on Friday.