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At least 15 people have died in a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry has confirmed.
The virus was first detected in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital last month with fever and severe vomiting. She died hours later from multiple organ failure.
The outbreak, the country’s 16th, is centred in Kasai province, where 28 suspected cases have been recorded. Four health workers are among the dead.
Health officials have urged strict preventive measures, including handwashing and social distancing, while tests confirmed the presence of the deadly Zaire strain of Ebola.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that more cases are likely. “Case numbers are likely to increase as transmission is ongoing,” it said, adding that response teams are working to trace and treat infections.
DR Congo has a stockpile of treatments, including 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which has proven effective against this strain.
The last outbreak, in 2021, killed six people, while a much larger one between 2018 and 2020 claimed more than 2,000 lives.
Ebola, first identified in DR Congo in 1976, spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals and has a high fatality rate.
