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At least 80 deaths have been reported in Congo’s new Ebola disease outbreak in the eastern Ituri province, authorities said, as health workers raced on Saturday to intensify screening and contact tracing to contain the disease.
Officials first announced the outbreak on Friday, with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases.
Meanwhile, Associated Press journalists in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, interviewed locals who recounted their fears and spoke about the constant burials.
“Every day, people are dying … and this has been going on for about a week. In a single day, we bury two, three or even more people,” said Jean Marc Asimwe, a resident of Bunia. “At this point, we don’t really know what kind of disease it is.”
Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said late Friday that there have been eight laboratory-confirmed cases, among them four deaths.
WATCH | World Health Organization to help Congo with Ebola outbreak:
WHO assisting Congo health officials after Ebola cases confirmed in remote province
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the global health agency is supporting officials in Congo as they investigate following the confirmation of Ebola cases in Ituri province. Congo has a strong track record in Ebola response, said Tedros, who offered WHO emergency funding and technical support.
Test results confirmed the Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the disease that has been less prominent in Congo’s past outbreaks. This is Congo’s 17th outbreak since Ebola first emerged in the country in 1976.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare but severe and often fatal.
The suspected index case in the latest outbreak is a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia, Kamba said, adding the case dates back three weeks to April 24.
The health minister did not say whether samples from the nurse were tested, but he added that the person presented symptoms suggestive of Ebola.
Outbreak spreads to neighbouring Uganda
Uganda confirmed on Friday an Ebola case that authorities said was “imported” from Congo. The person died at the Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, on May 14.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had said it is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo, and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda’s Health Ministry said.
On Saturday, people were being screened at the entrance of the Kibuli Muslim Hospital.
Ismail Kigongo, who resides in Kampala, said the new outbreak reminded him of his father, whom he lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I really get scared because I remember burying my father without looking at his body,” he said.
Kenya, Uganda’s neighbour, said on Saturday that there is only a “moderate risk of importation” of the Ebola virus due to regional travel. Kenya’s government said it has formed an Ebola preparedness team and strengthened surveillance at all points of entry.
Logistical challenges
Congo has experience in managing Ebola outbreaks but often faces logistical challenges to get expertise and supplies to affected regions.
As Africa’s second-largest country by land area, Congo’s provinces are far from one another and mostly battling conflict. Ituri, for instance, is about 1,000 kilometres from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, and is ravaged by violence from ISIS-backed militants.
The disease is so far confirmed in three health zones in Ituri province, including Bunia, as well as in Rwampara and Mongwalu, where the outbreak is concentrated.
Only 13 blood samples have been tested at the National Institute of Biomedical Research, eight returning positive with the Bundibugyo strain. The remaining five could not be analyzed due to an insufficient volume of samples, the health minister said.
A general view of Bunia, where Ebola outbreaks have been confirmed in Ituri province, Congo, on Friday. (The Associated Press)
In Bunia, businesses and regular activities at public places appeared to be normal on Friday.
Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she hopes the outbreak is quickly contained.
“My recommendation is that the government take this matter seriously and that it takes charge of the hospitals so that this matter can be brought under control,” she said.
