Ebola outbreak in DRC prompts boat interception near Kinshasa

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has reached nearly 4,000 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths, making it the largest in the country’s history and the second‑largest worldwide. WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the epidemic is spreading faster than the response, urging a massive scale‑up of surveillance, treatment and safe burials. The United States announced an additional $242 million in funding to support the effort.

Congolese health authorities intercepted a riverboat carrying about 200 passengers at the Maluku port, 65 km from Kinshasa, after a passenger who had disembarked earlier died with symptoms consistent with Ebola. Health Minister Roger Kamba ordered a mobile laboratory to test all passengers and crew. The incident highlights heightened concerns as the disease continues to spread across five provinces in the east of the DRC.