An Ebola outbreak has been confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with health authorities warning of a growing risk of cross-border spread.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said 65 people have died out of 246 suspected cases in Ituri province, with infections concentrated in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones. Additional suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, the provincial capital.
The agency is convening urgent talks with regional governments, including Uganda and South Sudan, to strengthen surveillance and coordinate response measures as concerns mount over population movement in the area.
Early findings suggest the outbreak may involve a non-Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, a development that could complicate containment efforts. Most previous outbreaks in Congo have been linked to the Zaire strain, against which current vaccines and treatments were designed.
Congolese virologist Jean-Jacques Muyembe said the emergence of a different variant could pose new challenges for medical response strategies.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya warned that the proximity of affected people to international borders, combined with high mobility linked to mining activity, increases the likelihood of further spread.
Uganda has already reported a fatal imported case in Kampala, though authorities say no local transmission has been confirmed.
The World Health Organization said it deployed a team to Ituri earlier this month after initial alerts, though early samples tested negative before the outbreak was later confirmed.
Health officials say rapid regional coordination will be critical to containing the outbreak and preventing a wider crisis.
