Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has declared an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo after hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths were reported in Ituri province.
The health agency said about 246 cases and 65 deaths have been recorded, mainly in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
In a statement issued on Friday, Africa CDC said it was holding talks with officials from DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and international partners to strengthen response efforts and cross-border surveillance.
Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now DR Congo. Scientists believe the virus originally spread from bats. This is the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.
The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
Common early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headaches and sore throat. There is currently no cure for the disease.
Tests carried out by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa found the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples analysed.
Africa CDC said four of the 65 deaths involved lab-confirmed Ebola cases.
Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. Laboratory confirmation is still pending.
The Congolese government had not officially declared an outbreak at the time of reporting. However, a staff member told the BBC that officials were expected to hold a press conference later on Friday.
Ituri has been under military rule since 2021 due to ongoing violence by armed groups operating in the region. One of the groups active there is the Allied Democratic Forces, which is linked to the Islamic State group.
Over the past 50 years, Ebola outbreaks across Africa have killed around 50,000 people.
DR Congo’s deadliest outbreak happened between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died.
Last year, another Ebola outbreak in Kasai province claimed 45 lives.
