In brief
A Chinese‑operated vessel, the Yingfeng 2, was intercepted 65km upstream of Kinshasa after five passengers died under a possible Ebola outbreak. Health officials and WHO teams are screening all 255 passengers for Ebola and cholera, setting up mobile labs on board. So far, none tested positive, and officials expect no further positives after the virus's 21‑day incubation period. The incident highlights the severity of the ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak in DR Congo, with 3,973 cases and 1,801 deaths reported.
Congolese authorities are screening all 255 passengers aboard the Yingfeng 2 after five fatalities linked to a possible Ebola outbreak. The Chinese‑operated vessel was intercepted 65km upstream from Kinshasa’s port at Bende Bende.
Health Minister Roger Kamba explained that the screening follows the death of a passenger who had a fever and diarrhoea, a case that died in hospital after disembarking earlier. He added that so far no one tested positive, and officials expect no positives after the 21‑day incubation period.
Teams from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization boarded the boat, setting up a mobile laboratory to test for Ebola and cholera. The vessel departed Kisangani, DR Congo’s third‑largest city, roughly two weeks ago.
Officials noted that there have been no Ebola cases reported in Mongala Province, where the dying passenger disembarked, contrary to earlier speculation. The body of the incident underscores the ongoing threat posed by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no specific treatment or vaccine currently exists.
The DR Congo government now has 17,000 people monitoring for contact with Ebola cases, 674 patients in isolation or treatment across five provinces, and 776 recoveries. In Kinshasa, authorities are reinforcing surveillance and rapid‑response capacity at Maluku, the city’s main entry point, to prepare for a potential outbreak response.
