New Ebola hotspot emerges in DR Congo
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has spread to another health zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), raising the nationwide total of affected zones to 26, the country’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center (COUSP) reported on Tuesday.
As of June 9, the authorities confirmed two Ebola cases in the Tchomia health zone of Ituri Province. The area is situated on the shores of Lake Albert near the Ugandan border and is roughly 50 kilometers south of Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province.
With the addition of Tchomia, 18 of Ituri’s 36 health zones have now recorded Ebola cases. The affected areas include Aru, Aungba, Bambu, Bunia, Damas, Gety, Kilo, Komanda, Lita, Logo, Mambasa, Mangala, Mongbwalu, Nizi, Nyankunde, Rimba and Rwampara.
According to Health Minister Roger Kamba, DR Congo had registered 635 confirmed Ebola cases as of June 9.
“The number of recoveries is progressing, contact tracing is improving – 61.1% compared to 56.4% yesterday. The response is ramping up. We are monitoring every zone, every alert, every signal. Vigilance does not waver,” Kamba said in a post on X.
In a separate update, the minister announced eight new recoveries, bringing the total number of people who have overcome the virus to 30.
Last week, the Congolese Health Ministry reported that 340 tons of medicine and medical supplies had been delivered to Ituri and North Kivu provinces through a World Bank-funded project, in addition to 150 tons previously transported with UNICEF support.
Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, reported on Thursday that Russian and Ugandan specialists are jointly developing a diagnostic kit to detect antibodies to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The agency's experts were among the first to arrive in Uganda in late May to assist the local authorities. Russian-developed PCR tests for the Bundibugyo strain and mobile laboratories have since been deployed in both Uganda and DR Congo.
