Fresh Ebola Outbreak Hits Dr Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling yet another Ebola outbreak, its 16th on record, and 15 people are already dead.

Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba confirmed on Thursday that the virus has resurfaced in Kasai Province, with the first case traced back to August 20, when a 34-year-old pregnant woman was admitted to hospital. Since then, at least 28 suspected cases have been logged.

“It’s the 16th outbreak recorded in our country,” Kamba told reporters in Kinshasa.

The World Health Organization has already dispatched experts to Kasai to support local teams. The DRC government is also moving 2,000 vaccine doses and available treatments from the capital to the outbreak zone.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, assured that efforts are in top gear: “We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities.”

The Zaire strain, which is the deadliest form of Ebola but one with an available vaccine is said to be responsible for this new wave.

Ebola, first identified in 1976, is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids and causes severe bleeding and organ failure. DRC’s worst outbreak between 2018 and 2020 killed nearly 2,300 people.

With its fragile infrastructure and poor communication networks, experts fear the central African nation may again struggle to contain the spread.