DRC study maps future Ebola risk zones

Scientists in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) released a new study that models where Ebola outbreaks are most likely to appear next. By combining environmental data such as dense forest cover and proximity to bat reservoirs with human factors like population density and mobility, the model identifies ten health zones at highest risk for the coming weeks. Eight of these zones are in Ituri province (Rethy, Mahagi, Jiba, Biringi, Linga, Nyarambe, Angumu and one other), with additional hotspots in Nord‑Kivu (Lubero) and Haut‑Uélé (Watsa and Gombari). The researchers say targeting surveillance, vaccine pre‑positioning and community‑health worker training to these areas could speed detection of new transmission chains. The DRC, which has recorded fifteen Ebola flare‑ups since the disease was first identified in 1976, suffered a devastating 2018‑2020 epidemic that killed over 2,200 people. The study, prepared by the national health ministry and the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, is preliminary and a peer‑reviewed paper is forthcoming.