Africa’s main health agency has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province.
About 246 cases and 65 deaths were reported, mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara regions, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. Four of the deaths were reported among laboratory-confirmed cases, the statement added.
Friday’s statement also said he will convene a meeting with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and other international partners to discuss response efforts and cross-border surveillance.
Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.
Preliminary tests carried out at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in the capital, Kinshasa, detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples analyzed, following consultations with the Ministry of Health and the National Public Institute of DR Congo.
Other suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, with laboratory confirmation pending.
First identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ebola virus is believed to have been transmitted to humans by bats.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache and sore throat. There is no cure for Ebola.
Around 50,000 people have died from the virus in different African countries over the past 50 years.
The deadliest outbreak in the DRC occurred between 2018 and 2020, during which nearly 2,300 people died.
