The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country has resulted in 513 suspected cases and 131 deaths across affected communities.
Samuel Roger Kamba, Congo’s health minister, announced the figures on Monday evening while giving an update on the spread of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in Ituri province.
Kamba noted that not all recorded deaths have been confirmed as Ebola-related.
“These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease,” he said.
Kamba said six areas including Mongbwalu and Rwampara have now been officially affected by the outbreak.
He said the locations are now regarded as the epicentres of the outbreak in Ituri province — as well as Bunia and Nyankunde in the same region.
The virus has also spread to Butembo-Katwa and Goma in North Kivu province.
Kamba attributed the delayed detection of the outbreak to local beliefs and misconceptions about the disease.
“The alert was delayed in the community because there was a belief that it was a mystical disease, and this caused the disease to spread,” he said.
In neighbouring Uganda, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said two confirmed Ebola cases and one death have been recorded in Kampala.
The Congolese ministry of health declared the outbreak on May 15. It is the seventeenth Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC since 1976.
Authorities said genomic sequencing confirmed the virus as the Bundibugyo variant — a strain genetically distinct from the outbreaks recorded in 2007 and 2012.
The National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) said the strain originated directly from an animal reservoir.
Health authorities also said there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo variant.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Africa CDC also announced a continental public health emergency on Monday — the first such declaration for an Ebola outbreak — and committed $2 million to support response efforts across the continent.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it is closely monitoring the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in DRC and Uganda.
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