New Ebola Case in Rebel-Held Congo After Outbreak Declared Over

A new Ebola case has been recorded in an area of eastern Congo controlled by AFC/M23 rebels, more than two months after the group declared the outbreak over in its territory.

The case was detected in the Kayna health zone in North Kivu, near Lubero, according to a statement from the rebels on Thursday. The patient is a 21-year-old man who arrived from Butembo, a city in government-held territory, though it is unclear where he contracted the virus. He was identified as a suspected case at a health checkpoint on Wednesday and confirmed infected the following day in a quarantine facility.

Health authorities have begun contact tracing and increased surveillance. Rebel-held areas had recorded four Ebola cases since the outbreak was declared in mid-May. The broader outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 3,000 people out of over 6,100 confirmed cases, with the infection spreading faster than any previous epidemic. Modelling suggests the true toll could be more than four times higher than reported, and the outbreak is on track to eclipse the 2014 West Africa outbreak to become the largest ever recorded.

Cases have slowed in Ituri, the epicentre, but are widening in North Kivu and accelerating in Haut-Uélé, threatening spread along the Congo river. Food insecurity is a compounding factor, with analysts warning that roughly 26 million people across the region are experiencing a food insecurity crisis, which increases both the spread and lethality of the virus. The World Health Organization is preparing to launch trials of three potential vaccines.