An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has left at least 65 people dead, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which warned of a high risk of further regional spread.
Africa CDC announced on Friday that around 246 cases had been reported in Ituri province, mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
The health agency said four of the deaths were among laboratory-confirmed cases, while additional suspected infections had also been identified in the provincial capital Bunia, pending confirmation.
Preliminary tests conducted by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa detected the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 analysed samples, following consultations with the Congolese Ministry of Health and the National Public Institute.
Authorities are continuing laboratory tests to determine the exact strain of the virus involved in the outbreak.
Africa CDC said it would hold emergency discussions with officials from DR Congo, neighboring Uganda and South Sudan, alongside international partners, to coordinate response measures and strengthen cross-border surveillance.
The agency warned that dense urban settings in Rwampara and Bunia, combined with intense mining activity in Mongwalu, could accelerate transmission of the disease.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said significant population movement between affected zones and neighboring countries had increased concerns over regional spread.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids or infected tissue and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.
The disease was first identified in 1976 in what is now DR Congo and this marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola’s average fatality rate is about 50%, although rates can vary depending on the outbreak and the speed of medical intervention.
DR Congo’s deadliest Ebola epidemic occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died.
Last year, another outbreak in the country’s central Kasai province claimed 45 lives.
