BUNIA, Congo (AP) 鈥� At least 87 deaths have been reported in in eastern Ituri province, the Africa CDC said Saturday, warning of an “active community transmission” as health workers raced to intensify screening and contact tracing to contain the disease.
Meanwhile, Associated Press journalists in Ituri鈥檚 capital, Bunia, interviewed locals who recounted their fears and constant burials.
鈥淓very day, people are dying … and this has been going on for about a week. In a single day, we bury two, three or even more people,鈥� said Jean Marc Asimwe, a resident of Bunia. 鈥淎t this point, we don鈥檛 really know what kind of disease it is.鈥�
is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.
Officials first announced the latest outbreak in Congo on Friday with . By Saturday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 336 suspected and 13 confirmed cases. Four people have died among the confirmed cases.
At an online briefing on Saturday, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the first cases were reported in Mongwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area. 鈥淐ases subsequently migrated to Rwampara and Bunia as patients sought medical care, enabling spread across three health zones,鈥� he said.
A high number of active cases remain within the local community, particularly in Mongwalu, Kaseya said, 鈥渟ignificantly complicating containment and contact tracing efforts.鈥�
Insecurity in Ituri, where Islamic State-backed militants , continues to restrict surveillance and rapid response operations, he added.
Of the 87 deaths, 57 are in the Mongwalu health zone, 27 in the Rwampara health zone and three in Bunia, Ituri’s main city.
Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said late Friday that test results confirmed the Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the disease that has been less prominent in Congo鈥檚 past outbreaks. This is Congo鈥檚 17th outbreak since Ebola first emerged in the country in 1976.
The suspected index case in the latest outbreak is a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia, Kamba said. He said the case dates back three weeks to April 24.
He did not say whether samples from the nurse were tested, but said the person presented symptoms suggestive of Ebola.
The outbreak has spread to neighboring Uganda
Uganda confirmed Friday an Ebola case that authorities said was 鈥渋mported鈥� from Congo. The person died at the Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Uganda鈥檚 capital, Kampala, on May 14.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control 鈥媋nd Prevention had said it is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.
The body of the patient who died in Kampala was later taken back to Congo and no other local case has been confirmed, Uganda鈥檚 Health Ministry said.
On Saturday, people were being screened at the entrance of the Kibuli Muslim Hospital.
Ismail Kigongo, who resides in Kampala, said the new outbreak reminded him of his father, whom he lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. 鈥淚 really get scared because I remember burying my father without looking at his body,鈥� he said.
Kenya, Uganda’s neighbor, said Saturday that there is only a 鈥渕oderate risk of importation鈥� of the Ebola virus due to regional travel. Kenya鈥檚 government said it has formed an Ebola preparedness team and has strengthened surveillance at all points of entry.
Congo is a large country that often faces logistical challenges
Congo has experience but often faces in delivering expertise and supplies to affected regions.
As Africa鈥檚 second-largest country by land area, Congo鈥檚 provinces are far from one another and mostly battling conflict. Ituri, for instance, is around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the nation鈥檚 capital, Kinshasa, and is ravaged by violence from Islamic State-backed militants.
Only 13 blood samples have been tested at the National Institute of Biomedical Research; 8 tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain. The remaining five could not be analyzed due to insufficient sample volume, the health minister said.
In Bunia, Ituri’s main city, businesses and regular activities in public places appeared normal on Friday.
Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she hopes the outbreak is quickly contained. “My recommendation is that the government take this matter seriously and that it takes charge of the hospitals so that this matter can be brought under control,鈥� she said.
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Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria; Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo; Patrick Onen in Kampala, Uganda; and Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya contributed.
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