Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday declared a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus Disease after a case was confirmed in the southern Kasai province, saying there were now 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths.
This will be the Central African country’s sixteenth Ebola outbreak, the health ministry said in a statement.
It said the presence of the virus had been confirmed in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was hospitalised in August with symptoms including a high fever and repeated vomiting.
Congo’s Long History of Ebola Outbreaks
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has experienced more Ebola outbreaks than any other country since the virus was first identified. The first recorded outbreak occurred in 1976 in Yambuku, near the Ebola River, giving the virus its name.
The country faced one of its most severe challenges during the 2018–2020 outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which became the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally after West Africa’s epidemic, killing over 2,200 people.
More recently, the DRC has reported smaller, better-contained outbreaks, including in Équateur Province in 2020, 2021, and 2022, reflecting improved surveillance and response capacity.