More than a dozen people have been killed by the Zaire strain of the virus in DR Congo, according to health authorities

At least 16 people, including four health workers, have died in a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), authorities in the Central African country have announced.

So far, 28 suspected cases have been reported in Kasai province, and laboratory tests have confirmed the Zaire strain of the disease, the Congolese health ministry said in astatementon Thursday.

"The case fatality rate is estimated at 57%, although investigations and laboratory analyses are continuing to refine the situation," the ministry stated, adding that the latest cases mark the 16th epidemic recorded in the DR Congo.

The government said it has deployed rapid response teams, supported by World Health Organization (WHO) experts, to boost epidemiological surveillance and set up triage and isolation facilities.

Ebola, a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever, is spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or tissue. Symptoms often include high fever, fatigue, headaches, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, and internal or external bleeding.

Congo last recorded the virus in 2022 in Equateur province, after a devastating 2018-2020 outbreak killed nearly 2,300 people. The country, currently gripped by armed conflict in its mineral-rich eastern provinces fueled by the M23 rebel group, has also been experiencing severe outbreaks in recent months, ranging from those described as "mysterious" to theMpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox.

The WHO hassaidit will deliver two tons of supplies, including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory gear and medicines, to support Kinshasa. It added that Congo has a stockpile of treatments and 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which will be sent to Kasai to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers.

Earlier this year, neighboring Uganda also declared a new Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old nurse died from multiple organ failure. The WHO recorded 14 cases, including 12 confirmed and two probable, with four deaths.

In June, Ugandan health official Diana Atwinesaidthe country had "swiftly" contained the outbreak with help from Russian partners. Russia's public health agency Rospotrebnadzor said in January it had supported Uganda with an epidemiological investigation and anti-epidemic measures after donating a mobile laboratory in 2024.

(RT.com)