New Ebola Case in Rebel-Held Eastern Congo After Outbreak Declared Over
A new Ebola case has emerged in rebel-held eastern Congo, weeks after the area was declared Ebola-free.
A fresh Ebola infection has been confirmed in a region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo controlled by the AFC/M23 rebel group, just over two months after the group declared the outbreak in its territory over.
The latest patient, a 21-year-old man, was flagged as a suspected case at a health checkpoint on Wednesday and moved to a quarantine facility, where tests confirmed the infection the following day, according to a statement from the rebels on Thursday.
The case was detected in the Kayna health zone in North Kivu, near the town of Lubero. The man had arrived from Butembo, a city in government-held territory, though it remains unclear where he contracted the virus.
Health authorities in the rebel-held area have begun tracing contacts and stepped up surveillance to prevent further spread.
The AFC/M23 group, which controls large parts of North and South Kivu provinces after a rapid offensive last year, had declared its areas Ebola-free in late June after 21 days without new cases. Only four Ebola cases had been recorded in rebel-held territory since the outbreak was first declared in mid-May.
Rebel officials have pointed to their handling of the outbreak as proof of their governance capacity. Rwanda, which the rebels say backs them, denies any involvement.