Fourth DR Congo province officially hit by Ebola outbreak

Haut-Uele province in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the fourth province officially affected by the country's current Ebola outbreak, after provincial authorities declared the epidemic across the province on Friday following the confirmation of seven fatal cases. The provincial governor's communication office said in a statement that Governor Jean Bakomito Gambu officially declared the Ebola outbreak in Haut-Uele after the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed on Thursday seven fatal cases of Bundibugyo Ebola in the Wamba health zone. The current outbreak had previously been reported in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. According to the Haut-Uele provincial authorities, alerts have also been recorded in the health zones of Pawa and Boma Mangbetu, as well as in the provincial capital, Isiro. In a message to residents, Bakomito called for calm and responsibility, urging the public not to give in to panic or misinformation. According to epidemiological data released late Thursday, the DRC has reported 1,792 confirmed cases in the three main affected provinces, including 625 deaths and 295 recoveries.