Ebola Reaches Congo’s Sud-Ubangi Province After Patient Traveled Through Rwanda and Uganda

Ebola has now reached the Sud-Ubangi province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a patient who traveled through neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. The 23-year-old man tested positive for the virus, which is the Bundibugyo strain of ebolavirus, and died in Gwaka, according to Jean-Jacques Mbungani, a former Congolese health minister and national lawmaker. The man had left South Kivu and traveled through Rwanda, Uganda, and back into Congo before arriving in Gwaka.

The patient's journey, which spanned about three weeks, included river travel and may have exposed numerous individuals to the virus. This development marks the spread of Ebola to a seventh province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising concerns about the potential for further transmission along the country's heavily traveled transport corridors.

The outbreak, which initially affected an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom, has already resulted in almost half of the confirmed cases proving fatal, with Congo reporting 6,942 confirmed infections and 3,349 deaths as of Wednesday.

Prior to the recent case, Ebola transmission had been easing in some areas, such as the Ituri province, which was the original epicenter. However, the situation has now worsened in North Kivu, accounting for 46 of the 99 new infections reported on Wednesday, nearly matching Ituri's 47 cases. North Kivu's Ebola treatment facilities are operating at 132% of their available bed capacity, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.