By Maryanne Awuya
A fresh Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has left 65 people dead and another 246 suspected cases under monitoring in Ituri Province.
The resurgence marks the latest chapter for a virus that has claimed thousands of lives across Africa over the past five decades.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention officially confirmed the crisis on Friday, revealing that four of the deaths have already been laboratory-confirmed.
According to the agency, preliminary tests conducted at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa detected the Ebola virus in 13 out of 20 samples analysed.
The outbreak is concentrated mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara areas, while additional suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, with laboratory confirmation still pending.
Africa CDC said it was convening an emergency coordination meeting involving DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and international partners to strengthen cross-border surveillance and response efforts.
Persecondnews reports that Ebola is a highly infectious viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.
First identified outbreak in 1976 in (Zaire) what is now DR Congo, the virus is believed to have originated from bats before spreading to humans.
Early symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, while severe cases may progress to internal bleeding and organ failure. There is currently no known cure for the disease.
Persecondnews recalls that Democratic Republic of Congo’s deadliest Ebola outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died.
This was recorded as the second- largest outbreak in history spanning over 23 months.
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