Ebola outbreak in Congo passes 8,700 cases as Kenya confirms its first imported case

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reached 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths, according to World Health Organization figures to 6 October, and Kenya has confirmed its first imported case, Al Jazeera reported. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The numbers

Ituri province has the most cases so far, but North Kivu is growing fast: it accounted for nearly 40% of new confirmed cases by 5 October, up from 24% at the end of August, according to MSF. Alimbongo health zone reported its first four cases, two of them fatal.

The Kenya case

• The patient was a Kenyan citizen living in the DRC who fell ill there and was treated at several health facilities.
• He travelled by road to Kampala, Uganda, then flew to Nairobi, arriving on 3 October.
• He was isolated in hospital, tested positive and died on 5 October. WHO confirmed the case on 6 October.
• Kenya has traced 28 contacts, including family members and health workers, and is tracing passengers and crew on the flight. A suspected case in Wajir County tested negative on 8 October.

Why it is hard to stop

At the end of September about a third of confirmed patients (34%) were being treated in facilities not set up for Ebola, and dedicated treatment centres were short of beds. Attacks on response workers and misinformation in Beni and Butembo have made people wary of the teams. "We will only bring this outbreak under control once the last chain of transmission has been broken," said Africa CDC director-general Jean Kaseya. The 2018 to 2020 outbreak in the DRC, caused by a different Ebola species, killed nearly 2,300 people; this one has already killed more.

What it means for Pakistan

Pakistan has no reported case. The risk to people here is low, but Pakistani traders, students and aid workers do travel through Nairobi and Kampala. Anyone back from eastern DRC, Uganda or Kenya who develops fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding within 21 days should tell a doctor about the trip before going to a crowded clinic. Ebola spreads through contact with the body fluids of a sick person, not through the air.

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