Africa’s leading public health agency has officially declared an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 246 cases and 65 deaths have been reported.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of infections are concentrated in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara, with additional suspected cases emerging in Bunia, the provincial capital.
Preliminary testing by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa detected the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples, while further testing is underway to determine the strain.
Africa CDC said the outbreak poses a serious risk due to urban transmission concerns in Rwampara and Bunia, along with mining activity in Mongwalu.
The agency is now coordinating with DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and international partners to strengthen response efforts and cross-border surveillance.
Dr Jean Kaseya warned that “significant population movement” between affected regions and neighbouring countries has increased the urgency for regional cooperation.
Ebola, first identified in 1976 in present-day DR Congo, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. Health officials have urged all affected communities to follow national safety guidelines.
