Africa’s leading public health authority has confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeastern Ituri province, with 65 suspected deaths out of 246 reported cases, raising fresh concerns over regional spread in an area already strained by conflict and fragile health systems.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said in a statement on Friday that it was coordinating an urgent response with Congolese authorities and neighbouring countries, including Uganda and South Sudan, as well as international health partners, to strengthen surveillance and containment efforts.
The outbreak has been reported primarily in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with additional suspected cases in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri. Among the reported fatalities, four deaths have been laboratory-confirmed as Ebola-related, according to the agency.
Health officials said sequencing efforts were underway to determine the exact strain of the virus, with early findings suggesting a non-Zaire variant. This development is significant because most of Congo’s previous Ebola outbreaks have been caused by the Zaire strain, against which existing vaccines and treatments have been developed.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, a leading Congolese virologist and head of the National Institute for Biomedical Research, said the identification of a different strain could complicate containment and treatment efforts.
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“All but one of Congo’s previous 16 outbreaks have been caused by the Zaire strain,” Muyembe told Reuters. “A different variant changes the response dynamics because current medical tools were designed primarily for that strain.”
The Africa CDC warned that the risk of further spread is heightened by the urban nature of the affected zones, combined with high population movement linked to mining activities and cross-border travel with Uganda and South Sudan.
“Africa CDC is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara,” the agency said, adding that mobility in mining areas could accelerate transmission if containment measures are not rapidly strengthened.
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Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya stressed the need for urgent regional coordination, noting that porous borders and frequent cross-border movement could allow the virus to spread beyond Congo if not quickly contained.
“Given the high population movement between affected areas and neighbouring countries, rapid regional coordination is essential,” Kaseya said.
The outbreak comes amid worsening insecurity in Ituri province, where clashes between armed militia groups have intensified in recent weeks. The violence has displaced civilians and disrupted already fragile health services, complicating response efforts.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned that many health facilities in the region are either overwhelmed or non-operational due to ongoing conflict. It also highlighted deteriorating sanitation conditions in displacement camps, which increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
This latest Ebola outbreak is the 17th recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. Congo has remained the epicentre of Ebola outbreaks globally, due in part to its dense tropical forests and recurring instability in affected regions.
The most recent outbreak prior to this one occurred in Kasai province and was declared over on December 1 after three months. That outbreak recorded 64 cases, including 45 deaths, while 19 patients recovered.
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Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons or contaminated materials. Health authorities have repeatedly emphasised the importance of rapid detection, isolation and vaccination campaigns in controlling outbreaks.
With sequencing still ongoing and health systems under strain, authorities are racing to contain the outbreak before it spreads further across eastern Congo and into neighbouring countries already on high alert.
