The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has expanded into a new health zone in the eastern part of the country, while a fatal imported case in neighbouring Kenya has highlighted mounting concerns over cross-border disease transmission.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) updates, the Alimbongo health zone in North Kivu province reported infections for the first time, recording four confirmed cases and two deaths. The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo virus species, for which health authorities note there are currently no approved specific treatments or licensed vaccines available.

Cumulative figures in the DRC have reached 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 deaths, yielding a crude case fatality ratio of 48.2 percent. Medical charities and local observers report that treatment facilities are severely overstretched, with many patients forced to seek care in non-specialised clinics due to a severe shortage of dedicated beds and resources.

The situation has been further compounded by community mistrust, insecurity, and misinformation, which local leaders claim continue to undermine public health interventions in North Kivu and surrounding provinces. Meanwhile, Kenya confirmed its first imported case involving a patient who traveled from the DRC through Uganda before succumbing to the virus in Nairobi, prompting aggressive contact tracing across the region.

Leadership at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has emphasized that bringing the outbreak under control requires meticulous tracking of every exposed individual to sever chains of transmission before the virus can spread further within local communities or across international borders.

Source: www.aljazeera.com