DRC Intercepts Boat Near Capital After Suspected Ebola Case Detected

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) authorities intercepted a boat carrying more than 200 passengers approximately 65 kilometers from the capital, Kinshasa, after a suspected Ebola case was detected onboard. The incident occurred amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak declared in the country's east on May 15.

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We suspect a case in the Pimbu health zone, in (the northern province of) Mongala. This person was on the boat. He got off the boat and it was once he was off it that he presented symptoms. He went to a health center and died.

Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba stated that the suspected case originated in the Pimbu health zone in Mongala province. The individual, who was on the boat, presented symptoms after disembarking and died after seeking medical attention. Kamba emphasized that tests would be conducted on all passengers, stressing that no cases have been confirmed yet and the situation is being handled with caution. No other deaths were reported on the vessel.

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We are going to test all the people. We have not confirmed any cases, but rather it is a suspected case. We are acting with caution. No other deaths have been registered on the boat.

A mobile laboratory has been deployed to test all passengers. The National Institute of Public Health (INSP) of the DRC reiterated that the death in Pimbu has not been confirmed as Ebola-related. The government has reported 1,801 deaths and 3,973 confirmed cases since the outbreak began. This current outbreak has become the second-deadliest in DRC's history and the largest in terms of infections within the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 outbreak.

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after the death of the subject in Pimbu, 'there is no confirmation currently that this death is related' to Ebola.