Written By | Health Agencies
Earlier on Saturday, ministry officials confirmed that the death toll had risen to 80, up from 65 reported the previous day.
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DR CONGO
A new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has resulted in at least 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths, according to the latest figures released on Saturday.
Health officials have warned that there is currently no vaccine available for the strain, known as Bundibugyo, which is considered highly lethal. DRC Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba made the announcement during a press briefing in Kinshasa.
“The Bundibugyo strain has no vaccine and no specific treatment,” Kamba said. “This strain has a very high lethality rate, which can reach up to 50 percent.”
Earlier on Saturday, ministry officials confirmed that the death toll had risen to 80, up from 65 reported the previous day. The outbreak has also claimed one life in neighbouring Uganda, officials said on Saturday, involving a DRC national.
This was consistent with an earlier announcement from Uganda’s Ministry of Health, which reported that a 59-year-old man from the DRC had died in Kampala after being admitted earlier in the week. His body was later repatriated. Laboratory tests confirmed that the victim in Uganda was infected with the Bundibugyo strain, first identified in 2007. Vaccines are currently available only for the Zaire strain, which was identified in 1976 and has a higher fatality rate of 60 to 90 percent.
African health officials confirmed the latest outbreak on Friday in Ituri province in northeastern DRC, which borders Uganda and South Sudan, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The region’s high level of cross-border movement has raised concerns about the potential for wider spread.
According to Kamba, patient zero was a nurse who reported to a health facility in the provincial capital, Bunia, on April 24 with symptoms consistent with Ebola.
Symptoms include fever, haemorrhaging, vomiting, and severe weakness.
High risk of spread
Officials have warned of a high risk of transmission, with initial reports indicating 65 deaths in what is now the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
The Ministry of Health later updated the figures, confirming 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths.
“This is a large outbreak,” said Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Friday.
The previous Ebola outbreak in the country occurred in August in the central region and killed at least 34 people before being declared over in December.
Between 2018 and 2020, the deadliest recorded outbreak in the DRC claimed nearly 2,300 lives.
Ebola, believed to originate from bats, is a severe viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause internal bleeding, organ failure, and death.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), outbreaks over the past half-century have recorded mortality rates ranging from 25 percent to as high as 90 percent.
The virus spreads from person to person through bodily fluids or contact with contaminated surfaces. Individuals are contagious only once symptoms appear, with an incubation period of up to 21 days.
“Given the uncertainties and severity of the illness, there is concern about the scale of transmission in affected communities,” the WHO said on Friday, adding that it was preparing to airlift about five tonnes of medical supplies, including infection prevention equipment, from Kinshasa.
Large-scale transport of medical supplies remains a challenge in the DRC, a vast country of more than 100 million people with limited transport and communications infrastructure.
Torch Media Africa
