Congo’s Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province has killed at least 87 people, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday, warning that the situation shows “active community transmission” as health workers try to intensify screening and contact tracing. Africa CDC said many of the active cases remain within local communities, particularly in Mongwalu, complicating efforts to contain the disease.
In Bunia, the capital of Ituri, Associated Press journalists interviewed residents who described a steady pattern of funerals. Jean Marc Asimwe, a Bunia resident, said, “Every 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,” adding that “At this point, we don’t really know what kind of disease it is.”
The outbreak was first announced in Congo on Friday with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases, according to the report. By Saturday, Africa CDC reported 336 suspected and 13 confirmed cases, with four deaths among those confirmed cases. Africa CDC also said the initial cases were reported in Mongwalu’s health zone, a high-traffic mining area, before spreading to Rwampara and Bunia as patients sought medical care, reaching three health zones.
Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the outbreak’s migration across health zones has helped drive spread. He said high numbers of active cases remain within the local community, particularly in Mongwalu, which he said significantly complicates containment and contact tracing. Kaseya also cited insecurity in Ituri—where Islamic State-backed militants have carried out deadly attacks—saying it continued to restrict surveillance and rapid response operations.
Congo’s health minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said late Friday that test results confirmed the Bundibugyo virus, a variant that has been less prominent in Congo’s earlier Ebola outbreaks. He said the episode is Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus first emerged in the country in 1976, and he described a suspected index case as a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia. Kamba said that case dates to April 24, about three weeks earlier, and he said the person presented symptoms suggestive of Ebola, without specifying whether samples were tested.
Africa CDC said of the 87 deaths, 57 occurred in the Mongwalu health zone, 27 in the Rwampara health zone and three in Bunia. Meanwhile, Uganda confirmed an Ebola case Friday that authorities said was “imported” from Congo, saying the patient died at Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala on May 14. Uganda’s health ministry later said the body was taken back to Congo and that no other local case has been confirmed, and on Saturday people were screened at the entrance of the hospital.
Kenya said Saturday that it saw only a “moderate risk of importation” tied to regional travel. Kenya’s government said it formed an Ebola preparedness team and strengthened surveillance at points of entry.
In Bunia, residents said they hoped officials could quickly bring the outbreak under control even as health workers worked under difficult conditions. Adeline Awekonimungu said, “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,” as businesses and everyday activity in public places appeared normal on Friday.
Only a limited number of blood samples had been tested at Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, the health minister said: eight were positive for the Bundibugyo strain, while five samples could not be analyzed due to insufficient sample volume. Congo has faced logistical challenges in delivering expertise and supplies to affected areas because its provinces are far apart and many regions are affected by conflict, including Ituri.