Democratic Republic of Congo: 'Ebola' Spreads and Intensifies in a Sixth Region

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ministry of Communications announced on Friday that the Ebola virus outbreak has spread to a sixth province, Bas-Uele, in the northeast of the country, confirming the detection of a previously identified case.

A source at the National Institute of Biomedical Research told Reuters that health authorities had identified a person who died from the virus in Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele province.

The Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya, had clarified on Thursday that the deceased had traveled from Isiro in Haut-Uele province to Buta, where he later died.

Bas-Uele province had not been among the areas previously affected by the outbreak, and the new case has raised concerns about potential infections among people who came into contact with the patient.