The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has officially declared an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to a statement released on Friday, approximately 246 cases and 65 deaths have been reported, primarily in the Mongwalu and Rwampara areas. Four of the deaths were among laboratory-confirmed cases.

Africa CDC also announced it is convening a meeting with DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan, and other international partners to discuss response efforts and cross-border surveillance. Ebola is a deadly viral disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, causing severe bleeding and organ failure.

Preliminary tests conducted at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in the capital Kinshasa, following consultations with DR Congo's Ministry of Health and National Public Institute, detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples analyzed. Additional suspected cases have been reported in Ituri's provincial capital, Bunia, pending laboratory confirmation.

First identified in 1976 in what is now DR Congo, Ebola is believed to have passed to humans from bats. Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, and sore throat. There is no cure for Ebola. Approximately 50,000 people have died from the virus in various African countries over the past 50 years.

DR Congo's deadliest outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, during which nearly 2,300 people died. Last year, 15 people died in the country in its 16th outbreak.

Source: www.bbc.com