DR Congo confirms new case of Ebola linked to 2018 outbreak

A new case of Ebola virus infection has been confirmed in the city of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the country’s National Institute for Biomedical Research.

The announcement was made on Monday.

Two days earlier, the World Health Organization had said authorities were investigating a suspected case in Beni after the death of a 46-year-old woman who had shown symptoms consistent with the disease.

Genetic sequencing showed the case is linked to the 2018-2020 outbreak in North Kivu province, which killed nearly 2,300 people, the institute said in a statement.

Ebola can sometimes linger in the eyes, central nervous system and bodily fluids of survivors and flare up years later.

Congo’s dense tropical forests are a natural reservoir for the Ebola virus, which causes fever, body aches, and diarrhoea.

Since 1976, the country has recorded 14 outbreaks.