Kinshasa, May 15 (IANS) Health authorities have confirmed a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Friday.

Hundreds of suspected cases have been reported in Ituri Province, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Preliminary tests by the National Institute of Biomedical Research detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples, Africa CDC said in a statement, citing consultations with the DRC’s Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute, Xinhua news agency reported.

About 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been recorded, mainly in Mongwalu and Rwampara, with four deaths among confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia.

Africa CDC warned of a high risk of further spread due to urban settings, population movement, mining activities, insecurity, and proximity to Uganda and South Sudan.

The agency is convening an urgent meeting on Friday afternoon with health authorities from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as key international partners, to strengthen cross-border coordination, surveillance and response efforts.

Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya stressed that rapid regional coordination is essential due to the high mobility between affected areas and neighbouring countries.

Previously, on September 4, 2025, the DRC government confirmed an Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province in central DRC, the country’s 16th outbreak since 1976.

The flare-up came amid an agitated public health environment, marked by the simultaneous resurgence of mpox, cholera, and measles across the country.

The DRC, on December 2, 2025, declared an end to the previous Ebola outbreak in the country that killed 45.

“On behalf of the government, and taking into account all the scientific and operational indicators confirming that the chain of transmission of the virus has been broken, I hereby officially declare the end of the 16th Ebola outbreak in the DRC,” Health Minister Roger Kamba told a ceremony in the capital, Kinshasa.

Ebola is a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever that causes symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, generalised pain, and malaise, and in many cases, internal and external bleeding, according to the WHO.

–IANS

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