Ebola outbreak spreads to M23-controlled South Kivu

Respone to the Ebola outbreak hampered by insecurity and difficult access. [AFP]

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has spread to South Kivu province, an area partly controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, raising fresh fears over the growing spread of the deadly virus.

 The latest development comes as health authorities struggle to contain the outbreak amid ongoing insecurity and conflict in eastern DRC.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) has already classified the outbreak as an international public health emergency.

 

According to the National Institute for Public Health (INSP), the virus is suspected to have caused 160 deaths from nearly 671 probable cases. Authorities have confirmed 64 Ebola infections and six deaths so far.

 M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka confirmed that a new positive case had been identified in Kabare territory in South Kivu.

 The patient is reported to have travelled from Kisangani in Tshopo province, an area that had not previously recorded infections linked to the current outbreak.

AFP

 Congolese authorities separately confirmed two Ebola cases in South Kivu — one confirmed and one suspected.

 The epicentre of the outbreak remains in Ituri province in northeastern DRC, where poor infrastructure, insecurity and limited healthcare access have slowed response efforts.

 Health officials and humanitarian workers fear overcrowded camps for displaced people could accelerate transmission.

 “We have no sanitary facilities at all, not even a handwashing station, for 16,000 displaced people,” said Desire Grodya, an official at a displacement camp in Kigonze near Bunia.

 “We’re really crammed in here; it’s total overcrowding. If the outbreak starts on the site, it will be catastrophic,” he warned.

 Tensions linked to the outbreak were also reported at a hospital in Rwampara, one of the affected areas near Bunia, where angry youths stormed the facility after attempting to retrieve the body of a deceased patient.

 Hospital officials said two Ebola isolation tents were set on fire during the unrest, while a healthcare worker was injured in the chaos before security officers intervened.

 Cases have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda, where one Ebola-related death has already been confirmed.

 Both North and South Kivu provinces remain divided by front lines separating Congolese government forces and M23 fighters backed by Rwanda.

 Health authorities have intensified screening measures at airports and border points, while the WHO and aid agencies continue delivering medical supplies and equipment to affected areas.

 “No vaccine or approved clinical treatment currently exists for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak,” health officials said.

 

The outbreak has already prompted several international measures, including tighter health screening for travellers arriving in the United States from affected countries, while Uganda has suspended public transport links with the DRC.

 

The WHO maintains that the regional risk remains high, although the risk of a global pandemic is currently considered low.