Congo Ebola Cases Reach 1,333 as Virus Threatens New Provinces
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 1,333, including 399 deaths, according to government data released on Tuesday. The cases have been recorded in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
Health authorities are now racing to contain the virus after it spread to two provinces not previously affected. In Tshopo province, contact tracing is underway after the body of a pregnant woman who died of Ebola in Ituri was transported by motorcycle about 300 km to the city of Kisangani. A sample taken at a morgue tested positive, and the journey through several health zones before diagnosis has created a high risk of transmission, according to a health ministry report.
Separately, a senior health official told Reuters that two people identified as contacts of Ebola cases in Niania had fled to Haut-Uele province. One tested positive, and the other is awaiting confirmatory results. Both have been located and are being returned to Niania, while health teams trace anyone they may have encountered in Haut-Uele.
The outbreak was declared on May 15 and has so far infected 1,333 people and killed 377 across the eastern provinces. Both Tshopo and Haut-Uele share borders with impacted provinces and, in the case of Haut-Uele, with South Sudan and the Central African Republic, raising concerns about further cross-border spread.
Health workers are stepping up surveillance and community engagement to contain the virus, which requires swift isolation and vaccination of contacts to prevent wider transmission.
