DR Congo Confirms New Ebola Outbreak, 15 D£ad in Kasai Province
DR Congo Confirms New Ebola Outbreak, 15 Dead in Kasai Province
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Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has killed 15 people since late August, the country’s health minister announced on Thursday.
The outbreak is located in central Kasai Province, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters in Kinshasa. The DRC last recorded an Ebola outbreak three years ago, which killed six people.
Provisional figures show 28 suspected cases in Kasai, with the first reported on August 20 in a 34-year-old pregnant woman admitted to hospital. “It’s the 16th outbreak recorded in our country,” Kamba said.
The World Health Organisation has warned that case numbers are likely to rise. It has deployed experts to work alongside Congolese response teams in Kasai. The country currently holds a stockpile of treatments and 2,000 vaccine doses, which will be transferred from Kinshasa to the affected province.
“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi.
First identified in 1976 and believed to have crossed over from bats, Ebola is a lethal viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. It causes severe bleeding and organ failure.
The deadliest outbreak in the DRC, which has a population of over 100 million, killed nearly 2,300 people between 2018 and 2020. Six strains of Ebola exist, and health officials confirmed the Zaire strain — for which a vaccine is available — is driving the new outbreak.
“Fortunately we have a vaccine for this Zaire strain but to deploy it we need to ensure the logistics,” Kamba added.
Spanning four times the size of France, the DRC continues to struggle with poor infrastructure and weak communication lines, challenges that complicate rapid health responses.
