An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has spread to a seventh province, raising concerns of further transmission across the country, authorities said Friday.
South-Ubangi Governor’s Office officially declared an outbreak in the northwestern province after laboratory analysis confirmed a suspected case of the highly infectious virus.
Acting Governor Jean-Rene Galekwa said an Ebola patient died in the province after travelling across several provinces, including areas where no cases had previously been reported.
The outbreak, officially detected in mid-May, had until now been confined to six provinces in the conflict-affected east and northeast of the country, where armed groups have operated for decades and health infrastructure remains weak.
According to the latest figures from Congolese authorities, the current outbreak has recorded 6,843 confirmed cases and 3,310 deaths, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country’s history.
Galekwa said the patient developed symptoms in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, after travelling through Rwanda, Uganda and Ituri province in northeastern DRC, where Ebola cases have been reported.
The patient later travelled by boat along the Congo River to South-Ubangi.
“The route taken both by the patient and by the boat exposes the population” of North-Ubangi, Tshopo and Mongala provinces, Galekwa said.
He added that 38 people who had contact with the patient had been identified and placed in quarantine.
Ebola spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment, although several vaccines and treatments are undergoing testing.
