Congo says Ebola has reached an eighth province, bordering the Central African Republic

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said on Sunday that the Ebola outbreak has spread to an eighth province. The province is Nord-Ubangi, in the country's north. It borders the Central African Republic.

Congo's Health Ministry recorded two cases in Nord-Ubangi, including one death. According to the South China Morning Post, the ministry said both patients were men in their 20s. They lived in the Wapinda health zone, which borders Bas-Uele province. Ebola cases have been reported in Bas-Uele before.

Authorities have recorded at least 9,400 cases in the outbreak, including more than 4,500 deaths. The outbreak was declared in mid-May. It is described as the deadliest in Congo's history. According to Deutsche Welle, it is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola with no approved vaccine or treatment.

According to the South China Morning Post, the Central African Republic has not recorded any confirmed cases. The same outlet reports that the virus spread to neighbouring Uganda, which has since declared itself free of the disease.

Kenya

The outbreak has spread to Kenya, which has recorded multiple confirmed cases. According to Deutsche Welle, Kenya's Health Ministry confirmed another case on Sunday, bringing the total to eight. The South China Morning Post reported that Kenya recorded its seventh case on Saturday.

Deutsche Welle quoted Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director-General of Kenya's Health Ministry, speaking on Kenya's Citizen TV: "Today, 38 people were tested, and one tested positive for Ebola." He added: "He is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain."

According to Deutsche Welle, Amoth said the patient was a patient attendant who cleaned utensils and linen. He had likely been exposed to Kenya's first case, discovered earlier this month. That patient died on 5 October, Deutsche Welle reported. Amoth said people in quarantine were being tested after developing symptoms. He said the other six patients were stable after supportive treatment.

What each side says

• Congo's Health Ministry: two cases, including one death, in Nord-Ubangi; both patients were men in their 20s in Wapinda.
• Dr. Patrick Amoth, Kenya's Health Ministry: one of 38 people tested on Sunday was positive; six other patients are stable.
• Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa: in an interview with The Associated Press in Beni, eastern Congo, on Friday, cited by Deutsche Welle, he said: "We see pockets of Ebola generally going down, but unfortunately geographically it's spreading out."

What the reports do not include

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not name the other seven affected Congolese provinces or give per-province figures. They do not describe response measures in Nord-Ubangi or any response by the Central African Republic. They do not explain how Kenya's first case was infected. Only Deutsche Welle reports Kenya's eighth case.

Analysis

The Nord-Ubangi cases place the outbreak on Congo's border with the Central African Republic, which has not recorded confirmed cases according to the South China Morning Post. The WHO regional director's description of declining pockets alongside geographic spread suggests two trends that could develop differently. In Kenya, the reported link between the newest case and the first patient points to transmission among contacts. How far the virus moves may depend on contact tracing, cross-border coordination and the absence of an approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain. The reports reviewed do not allow firm conclusions about the outbreak's direction.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.