Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have declared a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has already claimed 15 lives since late August, according to the country’s Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba.
The outbreak is located in Kasai Province, central DRC, and is the 16th recorded Ebola outbreak in the country.
The previous outbreak occurred three years ago and resulted in six deaths.
Speaking in Kinshasa on Thursday, Minister Kamba said that 28 suspected cases have been identified so far.
The index case was a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital on August 20.
“It’s the 16th outbreak recorded in our country,” Kamba said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that case numbers could rise and has deployed experts to the affected region.
They are working alongside Congolese health officials to contain the outbreak.
“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” said Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The DRC, home to over 100 million people, has a stockpile of Ebola treatments and 2,000 doses of vaccine specifically for the Zaire strain, which has been confirmed as the cause of the outbreak.
The vaccines are currently being transported from Kinshasa to Kasai Province.
Ebola is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever that was first identified in 1976 and is believed to have originated from bats.
It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals and causes severe bleeding, organ failure, and often death.
There are six known strains of the Ebola virus. The Zaire strain, responsible for the current outbreak, is the most deadly, but also the strain for which an effective vaccine exists.
Between 2018 and 2020, the DRC experienced its deadliest Ebola outbreak, which killed nearly 2,300 people.
Despite the availability of vaccines and treatments, authorities acknowledge logistical hurdles.
The DRC is nearly four times the size of France and has poor infrastructure, which hampers swift medical responses, especially in remote areas like Kasai.
“Fortunately, we have a vaccine for this Zaire strain, but to deploy it effectively, we need to ensure proper logistics,” said Health Minister Kamba.
The situation is being closely monitored by both national and international health bodies, with efforts underway to prevent further spread of the virus and avoid a large-scale health crisis.
