Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth DR Congo province

An Ebola outbreak that may become the deadliest in Democratic Republic of Congo's history has spread to a sixth province, Bas-Uele, raising concerns about potential transmission into South Sudan. Since its declaration on May 15, the current outbreak, which began in Ituri province in the country's conflict-ridden northeast, is the largest in the unstable central African nation.

It is the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak, with the 2018-2020 epidemic claiming nearly 2,300 lives out of 3,500 recorded cases. As of now, the ongoing outbreak has resulted in over 2,128 deaths from 4,566 confirmed cases. For the first time, a fatality has occurred in northern Bas-Uele province after an individual traveled from Haut-Uele.

Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), informed reporters of this development. The outbreak's rapid spread is highlighted by Africa CDC, which noted that in just three months, the DRC has seen seven times the number of cases and five times the fatalities compared to the initial three months of the largest Ebola outbreak on record in west Africa in 2014.

Despite this, the World Health Organization expressed optimism about curbing the epidemic within three months. However, Mercy Corps NGO cautioned about the risk of the virus reaching South Sudan, which borders Ituri and Haut-Uele. The current confirmed cases are merely 35 kilometers away from the South Sudan border along high-risk travel routes, according to their statement.

The DRC's response efforts are impeded by limited health services, inadequate clean water and sanitation facilities, tenuous trust, and insecurity. Some of the provinces affected by Ebola have dense populations with weak governmental control and limited health infrastructure. North Kivu and South Kivu, in particular, are divided by the frontlines between the Congolese army and the anti-government armed group M23, backed by Rwanda, which has occupied significant territories.

Ebola, transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and causing hemorrhagic fever, has claimed more than 15,000 lives across Africa over the past five decades.