Health authorities in Africa have raised serious concerns following a new Ebola outbreak in the Ituri province of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), where hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths have been reported.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that 246 suspected Ebola cases have been identified, while at least 65 people have died in the affected region. Initial laboratory tests confirmed the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples examined.
Health experts warned that the outbreak poses a major risk of spreading to neighboring countries such as Uganda and South Sudan due to cross-border movement, insecurity, and ongoing armed conflict in the region.
Reports indicate that the new outbreak comes only about five months after DR Congo declared the end of its previous Ebola epidemic. Scientists also noted concerns that the newly detected strain may differ from the Zaire Ebola strain, which existing vaccines and treatments were mainly designed to target.
Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) are now working with Congolese authorities and neighboring countries to strengthen surveillance, border screening, and emergency response measures aimed at containing the outbreak.