Congo declares new Ebola outbreak, reports 15 deaths

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo

An Ebola outbreak has killed 15 people, including four health workers, in Mweka Territory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's southern Kasai Province, the health minister announced on Thursday, marking the country's 16th outbreak of the virus in the last five decades.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare, I officially announce the resurgence of the Ebola virus disease, Zaire strain, in the Boulape health zone, in Kasai Province," Health Minister Roger Kamba told reporters.

Kamba said 28 cases have been reported thus far, with a 57% fatality rate confirmed by the national biomedical research institute.

The figures are provisional while investigations continue, but further confirmations are expected soon, he added.

The minister said the government has established a response coordination mechanism through the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (COUSP).

Rapid response teams have been deployed, epidemiological surveillance has been strengthened, triage and isolation procedures are in place, and funeral rites have been modified to protect the community while respecting families, the minister said.

Ebola is a severe, hemorrhagic viral disease that spreads through direct contact with a sick or deceased person's bodily fluids, as well as handling infected animals.

Congo has faced Ebola outbreaks, with cases reported in North Kivu during 2022 and 2023, leading to many deaths.

Ebola virus disease (EVD) remains a persistent threat in the Central African nation, where the Ebola virus outbreak has been reported for the 16th time since 1976.

Outbreaks of Zaire-type Ebola have occurred on several occasions, but the country has managed them through sustained efforts in surveillance, response, and vaccination, thanks to the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccination program and the INRB network for biological confirmation.