65 deaths tallied as Congo battles fast-moving Ebola outbreak

International

EBOLA has resurfaced in eastern Congo, where a fast-moving outbreak in the remote Ituri province has already left dozens dead and raised fears of wider regional spread across Central Africa.

Africa’s leading public health agency on Friday confirmed the outbreak in Congo’s Ituri province, where authorities have recorded 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths so far.

Most infections have been concentrated in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Laboratory tests have confirmed four of the deaths as Ebola-related.

Uganda later reported a related fatality involving a Congolese man who died in Kampala after being hospitalized for three days. Officials said the infection was imported from Congo and added that no locally transmitted cases have been confirmed in Uganda.

Scientists are still determining which strain is driving the outbreak. Congo has previously battled outbreaks linked to the Ebola Zaire strain, but preliminary findings suggest the current outbreak may involve another variant. Sequencing efforts are continuing, the Africa CDC said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Ebola disease can be caused by several related viruses, including the Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus. Uganda’s Health Ministry said the patient who died in Kampala was infected with the Bundibugyo strain, which has previously circulated in the country.

The WHO said Congo has stockpiled Ebola treatments and around 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which is effective against the Ebola Zaire strain but not against the Sudan or Bundibugyo variants.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency sent a team to Congo last week to support investigations and collect samples. Initial analyses did not confirm Ebola, but further testing later verified the outbreak, he said.

Congo has “a strong track record in Ebola response and control,” Tedros said in a CNN report, adding that the WHO is releasing $500,000 to support containment efforts.

The outbreak comes about five months after Congo declared its previous Ebola outbreak over following 43 deaths. Ituri province lies more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa, in a region marked by weak infrastructure and poor road access.

The Africa CDC warned that mining-related movement, insecurity and gaps in contact tracing could complicate efforts to contain the outbreak. The agency also raised concerns over the proximity of affected areas to the borders with Uganda and South Sudan.

The latest outbreak is Congo’s 17th since Ebola was first identified in the country in 1976. One of the deadliest outbreaks, between 2018 and 2020, killed more than 1,000 people in eastern Congo.(MyTVCebu)