Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have confirmed a fresh outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has already killed 15 people since late August.
The outbreak was declared in Central Kasai Province, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba announced on Thursday in the capital, Kinshasa. He noted that it is the 16th recorded outbreak in the country.
According to provisional figures, 28 suspected cases have been reported so far, with the first traced to a 34-year-old pregnant woman admitted to hospital on August 20.
“Fortunately, we have a vaccine for this Zaire strain, but to deploy it, we need to ensure the logistics,” Health Minister Kamba said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dispatched experts to Kasai to work alongside Congolese response teams as case numbers are expected to rise.
“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi.
Authorities confirmed the Zaire strain of the virus, one of six known Ebola strains, as the cause of the outbreak. The DRC has a stockpile of treatments and 2,000 vaccine doses, which will be transported from Kinshasa to the affected region.
Ebola, first identified in 1976 and believed to have crossed over from bats, is a deadly haemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids. It often causes severe bleeding and organ failure.
The DRC, a vast country of more than 100 million people, has faced multiple outbreaks of the virus. The deadliest, between 2018 and 2020 killed nearly 2,300 people.
With poor infrastructure and limited communication lines, health workers face significant challenges in quickly containing the disease in Kasai, a province located far from the capital.
