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At least 80 people have been reported dead in a new outbreak of Ebola in the eastern province of Ituri, authorities said, as health workers rushed on Saturday to intensify diagnosis and tracing to contain the disease.
Officials first announced the disease on Friday, with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases.
Meanwhile, Associated Press reporters in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, interviewed local people who recounted their fears and spoke of frequent burials.
“Every day, people die … and this has been going on for about a week. In one day, we bury two, three or more people,” said Jean Marc Asimwe, a resident of Bunia. “Right now, we don’t really know what kind of disease it is.”
The Minister of Health in Congo, Samuel Roger Kamba, said on Friday that there have been eight laboratory-confirmed cases, of which four people have died.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the world health organization is supporting Congolese officials as they investigate following the confirmation of Ebola cases in Ituri province. Congo has a strong track record in the Ebola response, said Tedros, who has provided WHO emergency funding and technical support.
Test results confirmed Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the disease that was less prominent in previous outbreaks in the Congo. This is the seventeenth incident in Congo since Ebola first appeared in the country in 1976.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be acquired through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare but severe and often fatal.
The case that is suspected to be a reference to the recent outbreak is a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia, said Kamba, adding that the case goes back three weeks to April 24.
The health minister did not say whether the nurse’s samples had been tested, but added that the person had shown symptoms of Ebola.
The outbreak is spreading to Uganda’s neighboring countries
Uganda confirmed on Friday a case of Ebola that authorities say “originated” in Congo. This person died at the Kibuli Muslim Hospital in the capital of Uganda, Kampala, on May 14.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is concerned about the risk of spread due to the proximity of the affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later returned to Congo, and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said.
On Saturday, people were being checked at the entrance of the Kibuli Muslim Hospital.
Ismail Kigongo, who lives in Kampala, said the new disease reminds him of his father, whom he lost during the violence of COVID-19. “I’m really scared because I remember burying my father without looking at his body,” he said.
Kenya, a neighbor of Uganda, said on Saturday there was a “moderate risk of importing” the Ebola virus from travel in the region. The Kenyan government said it had established an Ebola preparedness team and strengthened surveillance at all points of entry.
Entry challenges
Congo has experience managing Ebola outbreaks but often faces challenges in getting information and supplies to affected regions.
As Africa’s second largest country by area, the Congolese states are isolated and often conflict-ridden. Ituri, for example, is about 1,000 kilometers from the country’s capital, Kinshasa, and has been wracked by violence from pro-ISIS militias.
So far the disease has been confirmed in three health centers in Ituri province, including Bunia, as well as Rwampara and Mongwalu, where the epidemic has spread.
Only 13 blood samples were tested at the National Institute of Biomedical Research, eight of which came back positive for the Bundibugyo strain. The remaining five could not be analyzed due to insufficient sample size, said the health minister.
In Bunia, businesses and normal activities in public places appeared normal on Friday.
Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she hopes the outbreak will stop soon.
“What I recommend is that the government take this issue seriously and take action in the hospitals so that this issue can be controlled,” he said.
