Congolese report continued burials as death toll from new Ebola outbreak reaches 87

Bunia, Congo — Reports indicate that at least 87 people have died in a new Ebola outbreak in Congo. In eastern Ituri Province, the Africa CDC warned of “active community transmission” on Saturday, as health workers rushed to step up screening and contact tracing to contain the disease.

Meanwhile, Associated Press journalists in Bunia, the capital of Ituri, interviewed locals who described their fear and the continued burials.

“Every day, people are dying… and the outbreak has been going on for almost a week. In a single day, we bury two, three or even more people,” said Jean-Marc Asiimwe, a resident of Bunia. “At this point, we don’t really know what type of disease it is.”

Ebola is highly contagious and can be transmitted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare but serious and often fatal.

Officials first announced the latest outbreak in Congo on Friday: 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases. As of Saturday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected and 13 confirmed cases. Of the confirmed cases, four people have died.

In an online briefing on Saturday, Dr Jean Kassia, director-general of the Africa CDC, said the first case was reported in the Mongwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area. “Cases later shifted to Rwampara and Bunia as patients sought medical care, which led to spread in the three health zones,” he said.

A large number of active cases remain within the local community, particularly in Mongwalu, Kasia said, “significantly complicating containment and contact tracing efforts.”

Insecurity in Ituri, where Islamic State-backed militants are based, carries out massive lethal attacks. ‘Surveillance and rapid response operations continue to be restricted,’ he said.

Of the 87 deaths, 57 are in the Mongwalu health zone, 27 in the Rwampara health zone and three in Ituri’s main town, Bunia.

Congo Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said late Friday that test results confirmed the Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the disease that has been less prominent in previous outbreaks in Congo. It is Congo’s 17th outbreak since Ebola first emerged in the country in 1976.

Kamba said the suspected index case in the latest outbreak was a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia. He said that the matter occurred three weeks ago on April 24.

He did not say whether the nurse’s samples were tested but said the person showed symptoms of Ebola.

Uganda on Friday confirmed a case of Ebola that officials say was “imported” from the Congo. The man died on 14 May at Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was concerned about the risk of further spread due to the proximity of the affected areas of Uganda and South Sudan.

Uganda’s health ministry said the body of the patient who died in Kampala was later flown back to Congo and no other local cases were confirmed.

People were being screened at the entrance of Kibuli Muslim Hospital on Saturday.

Ismail Kigongo, who lives in Kampala, said the new outbreak reminded him of his father, whom he lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I get petrified because I remember I buried my father without even seeing his body,” he said.

Uganda’s neighbour, Kenya, said on Saturday there was “only a moderate risk of importation” of the Ebola virus due to regional travel. The Kenyan government said it had formed an Ebola preparedness team and strengthened surveillance at all points of entry.

Congo has experience in managing Ebola outbreaks, but it often faces logistical challenges. The goal is to deliver expertise and supplies to affected areas.

As Africa’s second-largest country by land area, Congo’s provinces are far apart from each other and mostly riven by conflict. For example, Islamic State-backed militants have devastated Ituri, which is about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the country’s capital, Kinshasa.

Only 13 blood samples have been tested at the National Institute of Biomedical Research; 8 tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain. The health minister said that analysts could not analyse the remaining five due to insufficient sample quantity.

Businesses and routine activities appeared normal in public places in Bunia, Ituri’s main city, on Friday.

Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she hoped that authorities would bring the outbreak under control soon. He said, “My recommendation is that the government takes this matter seriously and takes over the responsibility for the hospitals so that this matter can be brought under control.”