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Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have intercepted a passenger boat carrying about 200 people bound for the capital, Kinshasa, after a traveller who had disembarked earlier died with symptoms consistent with Ebola.
Officials said on Thursday that the vessel, which was travelling from the northeastern commercial city of Kisangani, was stopped in Maluku, a river port about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Kinshasa. The incident has heightened concerns that the country’s worsening Ebola outbreak could spread to the densely populated capital, home to more than 17 million people.
To prevent further transmission, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said authorities had deployed a mobile laboratory to screen every passenger and crew member on board.
Kamba explained that the suspected Ebola patient, a 32-year-old man, had left the boat earlier in Mongala Province, about 550 kilometres downstream, before developing symptoms and later dying.
A health ministry report from Mongala Province, obtained by Reuters, revealed that no biological sample was collected from the deceased because the health facility where he was treated did not have Ebola testing kits.
The minister added that no other deaths had been reported among those who travelled on the boat.
Travel by river remains one of the main means of transport in the region, with journeys between Kisangani, in Tshopo Province, and Kinshasa often taking several weeks. Limited communication during these trips makes it more difficult for health authorities to trace contacts and monitor suspected cases.
Tshopo is one of five provinces affected by the outbreak and has recorded seven confirmed Ebola cases. Government figures released on Wednesday show that the outbreak has so far infected 3,973 people and claimed 1,801 lives.
