Alarm bells ring as Ebola surfaces in Congo, 15 dead

The Democratic Republic of Congo has declared an outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in the south-central Kasai region after 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths were reported.

The outbreak has affected Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai, where health officials investigated after the cases and the deaths were reported with the patients presenting with symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhage, according to a statement from the World Health Organization on Thursday.

Samples tested on Wednesday in the capital, Kinshasa, confirmed the cause of the outbreak as Ebola Zaire, a strain of the Ebola virus.

The deadly viral disease causes severe inflammation and tissue damage throughout the body. It’s contagious once people show symptoms.

A national rapid response team joined by WHO experts has been deployed to Kasai to strengthen disease surveillance, treatment and infection prevention and control in health facilities, according to the statement.

Congo’s last outbreak of Ebola affected the north-western Equateur province in April 2022. The biggest ever outbreak of the disease was in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone when more than 11,000 people died between 2014 and 2016.