The Democratic Republic of Congo has reported its first Ebola-related death in Bas-Uele province, marking an expansion of the current outbreak to a previously unaffected area.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, head of Congo's National Institute for Biomedical Research, disclosed that the deceased was a motorcycle taxi driver who traveled from Haut-Uele, one of the provinces already battling confirmed Ebola cases, to Bas-Uele's capital, Buta.
The patient developed hemorrhagic symptoms consistent with Ebola and was confirmed positive post-mortem. Prior to his death, he sought treatment at multiple health facilities, and efforts by fellow motorcycle taxi drivers to recover his body prompted police intervention. This sequence of events has raised concerns about potential additional exposures and transmissions.
Currently, Bas-Uele will not be officially classified as an affected province until local transmission is confirmed. Haut-Uele remains one of five provinces impacted, with 113 confirmed cases reported as of the latest government data.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak, which began in May, has infected 4,566 individuals and caused 2,128 deaths, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak recorded globally, following the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic.
