A possible new front has opened in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola emergency, with suspected cases reported in a province that had not previously been affected, as the outbreak’s death toll climbed to 600.
The epidemic, which authorities declared on 15 May, has infected 1,759 people in Congo’s eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the government’s latest situation report.
However, that figure does not yet account for two cases identified in Kisangani — the capital of Tshopo province and one of the country’s largest cities — the report said.
Officials said one of the Kisangani cases has been traced back to the Niania health zone in Ituri, where the first infections were recorded. The other case, the report added, “does not appear to have a geographic link” beyond Kisangani.
Authorities said the initial positive test results are now undergoing validation through confirmatory testing. Once that process is complete, the cases will be added to the official total.
In the meantime, response teams have moved to bolster surveillance in Kisangani, stepping up contact tracing and other containment measures, according to the report.
The situation report also logged 51 new cases and 20 new deaths over the previous 24 hours.
Last week, reports said Congolese health authorities were tracking people who may have been exposed to Ebola in two provinces not previously touched by the outbreak: Tshopo and Haut-Uele.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said this week the outbreak has not yet stabilised and continues to spread, with population movement driving transmission.
