New Congo province has suspected Ebola case as deaths hit 600, report says

KINSHASA, July 8 (Reuters) – The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday that suspected Ebola cases had been reported in a new province, highlighting the expansion of the ongoing epidemic as deaths reached 600.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has so far infected 1,759 people in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to the government’s latest situation report published on Wednesday night.

However, the situation report stated that this case total does not include the two cases in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province and one of the largest cities in Congo.

One of these cases is linked to the Niania health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported. However, it was stated that the second case “does not appear to have a geographical connection” other than Kisangani.

It was stated that positive test results are in the process of being verified with confirmatory tests and will then be included in the official case total.

Response teams have meanwhile begun to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing and other control measures in Kisangani, it said.

Reuters reported last week that Congolese health authorities were tracking people potentially exposed to Ebola in two provinces previously unaffected by the outbreak: Tshopo and Haut-Uele.

The situation report released late Wednesday documented 51 new cases and 20 new deaths in the previous 24 hours.

The World Health Organization said this week that the epidemic has not yet stabilized and is still expanding as population movement fuels transmission.

(Reporting by Congo newsroom; Writing by Amindeh Blaise Atabong; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Stephen Coates)