Daijiworld Media Network - Kinshasa

Kinshasa, Sep 18: The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has claimed at least 31 lives, with health officials scrambling to contain the spread in the remote central province of Kasai. Patrick Otim, a representative from the World Health Organisation’s Africa regional office, confirmed during a virtual press briefing that a total of 48 cases have been reported so far, 38 of which have been laboratory confirmed. Of these, 15 patients remain in treatment at the Bulape health zone—the epicentre of the outbreak—while two have recovered and been discharged.

To tackle the outbreak, a targeted vaccination campaign is underway in Bulape, where approximately 760 vaccine doses have already been delivered. Over 500 frontline health workers and individuals who came into close contact with confirmed cases have been vaccinated. Authorities expect to receive an additional 45,000 vaccine doses in the capital, Kinshasa, in the coming days. However, Bulape’s isolated location continues to pose significant logistical hurdles, especially regarding the transport of temperature-sensitive vaccines.

While Otim noted a recent slowing in transmission due to ongoing containment efforts, he cautioned against complacency. He emphasized the urgent need to strengthen testing, contact tracing, and vaccination drives to ensure the outbreak remains under control. “It is very good progress that we can build upon,” he said. “If we continue on this trajectory, we should be able to bring this outbreak under control soon.”

The Congolese government officially declared the outbreak on September 4, marking the country's 16th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976. The last outbreak in the DRC, reported in 2022, involved a single confirmed case in North Kivu and was later genetically linked to the devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that claimed nearly 2,300 lives.

Ebola is a severe and often deadly hemorrhagic fever marked by symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, intense body pain, and in many cases, internal and external bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials, making rapid medical intervention and containment critical to preventing wider transmission.