Africa’s top public health agency has confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province, where 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been recorded.
The outbreak, centered in the gold-mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara, marks the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified there in 1976.
Additional suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital, with laboratory confirmation still pending.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said only four deaths had so far been laboratory confirmed, but preliminary testing in Kinshasa detected the virus in 13 of 20 analyzed samples.
Health authorities are continuing tests to identify the strain involved in the outbreak.
Africa CDC convened an emergency coordination meeting on Friday involving health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, alongside United Nations agencies and other international partners.
Discussions focused on cross-border surveillance, rapid response measures, safe burials and resource mobilization as officials seek to prevent wider regional spread.
The agency warned that significant population movement between affected areas and neighboring countries increases the risk of transmission.
Officials also expressed concern over gaps in contact tracing and the impact of ongoing insecurity in Ituri, where armed groups have operated for years.
The province has been under military rule since 2021 following escalating violence linked to multiple armed factions.
Africa CDC said preliminary results suggest the outbreak may involve a non-Zaire Ebola strain, with genetic sequencing ongoing.
The finding could complicate vaccination efforts because Congo’s existing vaccine stockpile is targeted at the Ebola Zaire strain.
Health experts said treatment efforts currently remain focused on managing symptoms and isolating infected patients while authorities await final laboratory results.
The World Health Organization estimates Ebola’s average fatality rate at around 50%.
The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, severe bleeding and organ failure.
Congo’s deadliest Ebola outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died in the country’s east.
Around 15,000 people have died from Ebola outbreaks across Africa over the past five decades.