Ebola in Congo linked to 65 deaths, spurring regional alarm

AN Ebola outbreak in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo linked to 65 deaths and hundreds of suspected infections has triggered concerns that the disease could spread across borders.

About 246 cases have been reported, with preliminary testing detecting Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Regional health officials convened an urgent meeting to coordinate a response while sequencing continues to determine the strain, it said.

Four deaths were among laboratory-confirmed cases in Ituri province, an area affected during eastern Congo’s 2018-20 Ebola epidemic, the world’s second-largest outbreak, which caused 3,470 confirmed cases and 2,287 deaths. Suspected infections have also been reported in Bunia, a city of almost 700,000 people.

Ebola virus disease is among the world’s deadliest infectious illnesses, with outbreaks killing anywhere from a quarter to almost 90% of those infected. Spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, the disease can trigger fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding. Weak health systems and delays in detecting cases can allow outbreaks to spiral quickly.

Risks of the disease spreading in the DRC are heightened by population movements related to the mining industry, as well as insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact tracing and the proximity of affected regions to Uganda and South Sudan, the Africa CDC said. Mongbwalu, one of the affected areas, has long been shaped by gold mining, armed conflict and population displacement.

The agency is meeting with officials from the three countries, the World Health Organization and pharmaceutical companies, including Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc.