Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Kasai province, which has killed 15 people since late August, the country’s health minister announced on Thursday, September 4.
Minister Samuel Roger Kamba revealed that the outbreak — the 16th in the DRC — was first detected on August 20 in a 34-year-old pregnant woman admitted to hospital. Since then, 28 suspected cases have been reported.
The last outbreak in the country was three years ago, leaving six dead, while the deadliest, between 2018 and 2020, claimed nearly 2,300 lives. Ebola, first discovered in 1976 and believed to have originated from bats, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and often leads to severe bleeding and organ failure.
Authorities confirmed the current outbreak is caused by the Zaire strain, for which a vaccine exists. However, Kamba warned that logistical and infrastructural challenges in the vast nation — four times the size of France — could slow vaccination and containment efforts.
