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Ebola Outbreak Confirmed in Congo's Ituri Province
Confirmed
In Short: An Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri Province, killing 80 people, with additional cases reported in North Kivu and South Kivu.
The World Health Organization reported that as of May 29, a total of 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, with 18 deaths among the confirmed cases, have been reported across both countries. The first cases were detected in late April in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the nearby Mongbwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area.
Ituri province remains the most affected, with 5,065 cases, including 2,305 deaths, reported from 28 of 36 health zones. The province, one of 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is part of the subdividing of the former Orientale province. Data reported by DRC on confirmed cases and deaths are under continuous review and harmonization.
The illness has also been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The first Ebola virus was identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Congo, and the virus has been a recurring concern in the region.
In scientific news, reports published in Nature Medicine detail post-exposure prevention with MBP134, an experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail, following Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) exposure in an adult and four children. The WHO declared the end of the outbreak on August 25 after 42 days without a new confirmed case being reported.
Background
Ituri Province is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces are the result of the subdividing of the former Orientale province.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- The World Health Organization has said that as of May 29, a total of 134 confirmed cases, including nine in Uganda, with 18 deaths among the confirmed cases, have been reported across both countries.
- The first Ebola virus to be identified was in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Congo.
- When the WHO declared mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa as a global emergency in 2024, experts at the time said it did little to get supplies like diagnostic tests, medicines and vaccines to affected…
- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the first cases were reported in late April in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, and the nearby Mongbwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area.
- The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu.
- It was first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during a 2007-2008 outbreak that killed 37 people.
- In scientific news, reports published yesterday in Nature Medicine detail post-exposure prevention with MBP134, an experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail following Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) exposure in an…
- Students would still be required to get vaccinated against 7 diseases.