The Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday declared a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, its first in three years, reporting 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths.
The health ministry said samples taken on Wednesday confirmed the presence of the Zaire strain of the virus. The initial alert came after a 34-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalised on Aug. 20 in Kasai province with a high fever and vomiting. It did not say whether she survived.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that case numbers were likely to rise as transmission was ongoing.
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Ebola is a rare but often fatal illness in humans, spread through contact with blood and other bodily fluids. Congo has recorded more than a dozen outbreaks, including a devastating epidemic from 2018 to 2020 that killed nearly 2,300 people. Its most recent flare-up was in Equateur province in 2022.
The WHO said Congo has a stockpile of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which will be deployed to Kasai to inoculate contacts and frontline health workers. It will also deliver two tons of supplies, including mobile laboratory equipment and medical materials.
