Congo authorities find no Ebola cases on quarantined river boat

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have confirmed that no cases of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus were found among passengers on a river boat quarantined near Kinshasa. The quarantine was implemented in the port of Maluku after a passenger who had previously traveled on the vessel died with symptoms matching the virus.

Specialist teams from the Ministry of Health examined more than 200 passengers and decontaminated the vessel. The National Institute of Biomedical Research reported that all suspected cases tested negative for the virus. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya noted that while the passenger had become ill in the Mongala province, there are currently no confirmed Ebola cases in the capital.

The announcement follows a period of panic in Kinshasa. The country is currently managing an Ebola outbreak that has seen approximately 4,200 confirmed cases and over 1,900 deaths since May. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders has described the transmission rate of the current outbreak as "alarming and unprecedented."