New Ebola Outbreak Declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo

An Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern Ituri Province, where health officials have reported 246 suspected cases and at least 65 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak is DRC's 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976. Unlike most previous DRC outbreaks, which involved the Zaire strain, this outbreak has been confirmed as the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines currently available.

The outbreak is centered in Mongwalu and Rwampara, with suspected cases also reported in Bunia, Ituri's capital. Laboratory testing by DRC's National Institute of Biomedical Research found the Bundibugyo strain in 13 of 20 samples.

The outbreak has raised regional concern because Ituri borders Uganda and South Sudan, and the affected areas see significant cross-border population movement. Uganda has reported the death of a Congolese man in Kampala from Ebola Bundibugyo, which officials described as an imported case. Ebola mortality rates can reach 90 percent, and the disease spreads through body fluids.

Because of this transmission pathway, access to personal protective equipment is essential for healthcare workers as they work to contain the spread of the disease.

Direct Relief has responded to multiple Ebola outbreaks, including the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 people across several countries.

In response, Direct Relief donated approximately $40 million in medical aid and 476 tons of essential medical supplies and protective equipment for health workers to combat Ebola in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, where the majority of the cases were located.

Direct Relief is monitoring the current outbreak and has offered medical support to regional response partners, including Africa CDC, the International Organization for Migration, and Jericho Road Community Health Center in eastern DRC.

The organization will respond to medical needs as they become known.