(Ebola Virus. Photo by Facebook / The West Australian)
A fatal Ebola outbreak has been officially confirmed in the Ituri Province of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with African health authorities raising the alarm on Friday.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa), a total of 246 suspected cases have been recorded, with 65 deaths reported overall, including four fatalities among laboratory-confirmed cases.
The agency announced that it is closely tracking the situation and convened an emergency high-level meeting with the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, and international partners to strengthen cross-border monitoring, preparedness, and coordinated response efforts.
Ebola is a highly dangerous viral illness first identified in 1976 and believed to have originated in bats.
It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals and is characterized by severe internal bleeding and organ failure.
Over the past five decades, the disease has claimed approximately 15,000 lives across the African continent.
The DRC has a particularly grim history with the virus.
Its deadliest recorded outbreak, which occurred between 2018 and 2020, resulted in the deaths of nearly 2,300 people underscoring the urgency of the current response efforts as authorities work to contain the latest resurgence.