More than 400 dead in DR Congo's spreading Ebola outbreak

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more than 400 lives and is still spreading, with a first case reported in the major city of Kisangani. The highly infectious disease has killed 438 people out of 1,406 confirmed infections, a fatality rate of just over 31 percent, according to the National Institute of Public Health. The outbreak's center is in the northeastern Ituri province, where over 83 percent of deaths have occurred. This province borders South Sudan and Uganda, which has reported 20 cases and two deaths. The virus has also spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. A case was recently reported in Kisangani, a city of 1.5 million residents and the capital of Tshopo province. Health authorities confirmed a 24-year-old pregnant woman tested positive for Ebola posthumously. Her body was reportedly transported by motorcycle from the Nia Nia health zone in Ituri to Kisangani, a route where the deceased's body remains highly infectious and can transmit the virus during burial rites. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi warned that "epidemics do not recognise borders." However, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged the world not to impose travel bans on the DRC, expressing optimism about containing the outbreak. In Haut-Uele province, adjacent to Ituri, a death and an infection were also reported. Health authorities stated that cases in Tshopo and Haut-Uele were "imported" from Ituri, though several contact cases have been identified in these provinces. The current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no vaccine or specific treatment exists. This is the 17th Ebola crisis to hit the DRC, with the deadliest outbreak between 2018 and 2020 killing nearly 2,300 people.

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Epidemics do not recognise borders.