The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province, with 65 deaths recorded from 246 suspected cases so far
Africa’s top public health agency said in a statement that it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan, and global partners to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts.
It said “the deaths and suspected cases had been reported mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, while four deaths had been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital.”
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The Agency said initial findings suggested the presence of a non-Zaire strain of the virus, with sequencing ongoing to further characterise it.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the Congolese virologist who co-discovered Ebola and heads the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, said that “all but one of Congo’s 16 previous outbreaks had been caused by the Zaire strain.”
The identification of a different variant will complicate the response, he said, as existing treatments and vaccines were developed against the Zaire strain.
“Africa CDC is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara as well as intense population movement and mobility related to mining in the affected areas, which are close to Uganda and South Sudan, the Agency said.
“Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential,” Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said in the statement.
Reuter/Shakirat Sadiq
