DR Congo screens 200 boat passengers after suspected Ebola death

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have intercepted a passenger boat outside Kinshasa after a former passenger died from a suspected case of Ebola, prompting an extensive screening operation as the country battles its largest recorded outbreak of the disease.

The vessel, which originated in the outbreak-hit Tshopo Province, was stopped approximately 65 kilometres from central Kinshasa after a passenger who had disembarked earlier in Mongala Province developed symptoms, including fever and diarrhea, and later died, Xinhua reports.

Health Minister Roger Kamba stressed that the case has not yet been confirmed.

"We are being cautious," Kamba said, noting that it was a suspected case rather than a confirmed one.

Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said authorities have established a security and health cordon around the vessel while a mobile laboratory conducts Ebola tests on all passengers and crew.

Officials sought to reassure residents of Kinshasa, a city of nearly 20 million people, emphasizing that no confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the capital, which is not among the five provinces currently affected by the outbreak.

The incident coincided with a high-level meeting in Kinshasa on August 5 aimed at strengthening the national response to the epidemic. The meeting was chaired by DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and attended by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya.

According to the DRC presidential office, participants emphasized the need to improve protection for healthcare workers and strengthen early case detection to reduce deaths occurring in homes and communities.

Meanwhile, the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) warned that the outbreak continues to escalate.

The situation in eastern DRC is "more critical than ever," the organization said, adding that the disease is spreading at an alarming and unprecedented pace with "no sign of slowing down."

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently facing the largest Ebola outbreak in its history. Since the epidemic was declared on May 15, health authorities have recorded 3,973 confirmed cases, including 1,801 deaths and 776 recoveries, underscoring the scale of the public health challenge confronting the country.

By Vafa Guliyeva