WHO says Congo has declared 'resurgence' of ebola in North Kivu

The World Health Organization on Tuesday said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported a "resurgence" of the deadly ebola virus in a region known for its hard-hitting outbreaks of the fearsome disease. 

DPC officials said that "a 46-year-old woman died on 15 August 2022 in Beni, a town located in North Kivu," with symptoms consistent with ebola, according to a WHO dispatch on Tuesday. 

Viral samples from the patient "showed that the case was genetically linked to the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces—the country’s longest and largest," WHO said. 

Officials with both the DPC and WHO are "working to stem the spread of the disease, having identified 160 contacts whose health is being closely monitored," the health organization said. 

The country has around 1,000 doses of the ebola vaccine stockpiled, WHO said, with a fifth of those expected to be dispatched to Beni this week. 

"Ring-vaccination—where contacts and contacts of contacts are vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus and protect lives—is expected to begin shortly," WHO said.