The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the continent's top public health body, on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.
“Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation,” the agency said, referring to the capital of Ituri province, near the border with Uganda.
It said preliminary laboratory results have detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested.
While more tests are still needed to identify the strain, tests suggest that it is not the Zaire variant, which is one of the deadliest.
