Ebola outbreak expands into North Kivu as Kenya reports fatal imported case

Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached a new health zone in the east, and a fatal imported case in Kenya highlights the risk of cross‑border transmission.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on 8 October that Alimbongo health zone in North Kivu province had identified its first cases. According to data from 6 October, four confirmed infections—two of which were fatal—have been recorded there.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. The WHO says confirmed cases have been reported in 64 health zones across seven provinces. Ituri remains the hardest‑hit province in cumulative cases, while North Kivu is accounting for an increasing proportion of newly confirmed infections.

As of 6 October, the WHO had documented 8 728 confirmed cases and 4 205 confirmed deaths in the DRC. A further 2 269 people have recovered, giving a crude case‑fatality ratio of 48.2 %.

Kenya confirms imported case

Kenya announced its first imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease on 6 October, according to the WHO. The patient, a Kenyan national who had been residing in the DRC, became ill there and sought treatment at multiple health facilities before travelling to Kenya via Uganda.

The patient drove to Kampala, Uganda, and then flew to Nairobi, arriving on 3 October. He was placed in isolation, tested positive for the virus, and died on 5 October despite receiving supportive care.

Kenyan health authorities identified 28 contacts, comprising family members and health‑care workers. The WHO also reported that passengers and crew from the flight to Nairobi are being traced.

Public‑health measures have been launched in Kenya and Uganda, encompassing contact tracing and heightened surveillance.

On 8 October, preliminary laboratory results for a suspected Ebola case in Kenya’s Wajir County tested negative, according to the county governor. The negative result alleviated concerns about a second case, although monitoring remains ongoing.

The imported infection has highlighted the need for robust surveillance and cross‑border coordination. Promptly identifying exposed individuals and monitoring them for symptoms is essential for early detection and breaking transmission chains.

Treatment capacity under pressure

In the DRC, the response effort is under mounting pressure from limited treatment capacity, insecurity, and challenges securing community cooperation.

Daniel Makasi Levergénois, founder of Watoto Radio, said insecurity and misinformation are hampering containment. In Beni and Butembo, both in North Kivu, rumours and misconceptions about Ebola have made some residents reluctant to cooperate with response teams.

In an update on 5 October, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that North Kivu now accounts for almost 40 % of newly confirmed cases nationwide, up from 24 % at the end of August.

MSF also noted that, as of 28 September, 34 % of confirmed Ebola patients were being cared for in non‑specialised health facilities. Dedicated treatment centres lack sufficient beds, and diagnostic delays have resulted in some patients being managed outside facilities equipped for Ebola care.

The organisation warned that many of these facilities lack the necessary resources and expertise to manage the disease, raising the risk of transmission among patients and health‑care workers.

“For weeks, treatment capacity has stretched to its limit,” said Stephanie Hoffmann, coordinator of MSF’s Ebola treatment centre in Butembo.

“Because there are not enough beds available, we sometimes have to refer confirmed Ebola patients elsewhere, despite the significant risk this poses to the wider community. In addition, standards of care in some peripheral facilities do not always meet Ebola‑treatment requirements. This is extremely concerning.”

Mistrust threatens containment efforts

Alberto Lusenge, a community leader in Beni, said the failure to halt transmission early in Ituri province, together with new cases and attacks on response workers in Beni and Butembo, has heightened public concern.

Lusenge warned that mistrust could deter residents from reporting symptoms or cooperating with health workers. He said North Kivu could become a larger focus of the outbreak if authorities do not secure stronger community cooperation.

The WHO reported that as of 4 October, response teams were following up 23 741 of 29 535 identified contacts, an 80.4 % follow‑up rate that falls below the 85 % target.

Contact tracing enables health authorities to identify people who may have been exposed, monitor them for symptoms, and detect infections early. Gaps in follow‑up can impede efforts to interrupt transmission chains.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for a community‑centred response, including active case‑finding, systematic contact tracing, daily follow‑up of exposed individuals, and sustained engagement with local communities.

A history of deadly outbreaks

The DRC’s 2018‑2020 Ebola outbreak, caused by a different virus species, killed nearly 2 300 people. The current outbreak presents distinct challenges: according to the WHO, there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease.

Early detection, supportive care, and infection prevention therefore remain central to the response. However, as infections spread to additional health zones and treatment facilities struggle to accommodate patients, authorities confront the dual challenge of containing transmission and preserving public trust.

Jean Kaseya, director‑general of Africa CDC, has emphasised the need to rapidly identify and monitor people exposed to the virus. “To bring this outbreak under control, we need to know where every contact is, track them and quickly identify anyone showing symptoms before they pass the virus on to their family, their community or across borders. We will only bring this outbreak under control once the last chain of transmission has been broken,” Kaseya said in a news release seen by Al Jazeera.

Source link