DR Congo authorities have placed a Chinese‑run river ship, the Yingfeng 2, under quarantine after five passengers died. The vessel was stopped 65 km from Kinshasa, with 255 people on board. Health ministry and WHO teams are screening everyone for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and for cholera.
The first death occurred after a passenger who left earlier developed fever and diarrhoea and was treated in a local hospital. Two additional adults, a three‑year‑old child and a newborn have now died while the vessel was still on the river.
Teams from the health ministry and WHO set up a mobile laboratory on the ship to test for the virus. Minister Roger Kamba told reporters that no one tested positive so far and that the 21‑day incubation period is now over, making any latent cases unlikely.
The Yingfeng 2 had departed Kisangani two weeks ago. The DR Congo is grappling with its 17th Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain that has not appeared for more than a decade. Official figures show 3,973 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths, making it the second deadliest outbreak on record.
About 17,000 people are being monitored after contact with Ebola cases, and there are 674 patients in isolation or treatment centres across five provinces. The capital, Kinshasa, has strengthened surveillance at its main entry port, Maluku, to prepare for possible future cases.
Officials stress that the measures are precautionary yet underline the seriousness of the situation and the importance of swift, coordinated responses to stop the spread.
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