Aid supplies arrive in Congo's Bunia as Ebola response ramps up

Medical supplies arrived in the eastern Congolese city of Bunia on Tuesday (May 19) as authorities and aid agencies stepped up efforts to contain the latest Ebola outbreak centred in Ituri province.

Workers unloaded boxes of medical kits from a cargo plane at Bunia airport as UNICEF officials and provincial authorities oversaw the delivery. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global health emergency after cases linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola were confirmed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda. The outbreak is centred in the Ituri health zones of Mongbwalu, Bunia and Rwampara, while one confirmed case has also been recorded in Goma.

The outbreak, involving a strain for which there is no approved vaccine, has already prompted heightened screening measures and border restrictions across the region, while health experts warn that conflict and limited surveillance capacity in eastern Congo could complicate efforts to contain the virus.

-Gradel Muyisa, Ngouda Dione/Reuters