The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said preliminary laboratory tests conducted at the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale in Kinshasa confirmed the virus in 13 of 20 samples, while further tests are underway to determine the strain. Four of the reported deaths were among confirmed cases.Additional suspected infections have been reported in the provincial capital Bunia. Health officials have warned of a higher risk of further spread due to population movement, urban settings and mining activity in affected areas, the BBC reports. Uganda also confirmed an imported Ebola case linked to DR Congo on Friday. Uganda’s health ministry said a 59-year-old Congolese man, who was admitted to a hospital in Kampala on Monday, died on Thursday in intensive care after testing positive for Ebola. Officials said no local transmission has been detected so far.Dr. Jean Kassia, executive director of Africa CDC, said ‘significant population movement’ between affected areas and neighboring countries made regional coordination essential. The agency has called for joint action with DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and other partners to strengthen monitoring and response measures.The Congolese government has not yet formally announced the outbreak, but is expected to hold a press conference. It has also conducted consultations with neighboring countries and international partners on prevention strategies.Ebola, which was first identified in what is now DR Congo in 1976, is believed to have originated in bats and is spread by direct contact with bodily fluids. According to the World Health Organization, the disease causes severe bleeding, organ failure and has an average mortality rate of about 50%.Early symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash and internal or external bleeding. There is no proven cure, although supportive treatment may improve the chances of survival.Ituri province remains unstable, with military rule imposed in 2021 amid long-running activity by armed groups including the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces.Ebola outbreaks have occurred 17 times in DR Congo since the virus was first discovered. Nearly 2,300 people died in the country’s deadliest outbreak between 2018 and 2020, while a separate outbreak in Kasai province last year killed 45 people. About 15,000 people have died from Ebola across Africa over the past five decades.
