Congo Reopens Main Airport In Ebola Epicenter As Officials Brace For Long Outbreak

2026-06-01 11:30:43

(MENAFN- Live Mint) (Bloomberg) -- Congo reopened the main airport in the eastern province hardest hit by Ebola, after health officials reported tentative signs the outbreak may be slowing despite a continuing struggle to trace exposed contacts and investigate suspected cases.

The airport in Bunia - the capital of Ituri province - resumed operations immediately after health authorities determined that screening and surveillance measures were sufficient to manage travel risks, the Democratic Republic of Congo's transport ministry said in a Monday statement posted on social media. Passengers will undergo temperature screening before departure and arrival.

Authorities are increasingly focusing on how to sustain transport links, health-care services and outbreak operations during what could be a lengthy epidemic. Vaccine developers are racing to bring three experimental Bundibugyo vaccines into human testing, while health officials expand treatment and coordination capacity in Ituri.

The outbreak has caused 321 confirmed infections and 48 deaths across 23 health zones in the country's east, according to a situation report released Monday. Authorities were actively monitoring only 43% of identified contacts, less than half the target rate of 95%, while 47 laboratory samples remained awaiting analysis.

The report described Logo as a newly affected health zone, bringing the total number impacted in Ituri province to 15. While health officials said“the current evolution of the disease shows a decrease in community transmission,” they cautioned that the data remain incomplete.

Separately, officials are assessing facilities in Bunia that could house the national Ebola response coordination center, part of an effort to strengthen management of an outbreak that has spread across multiple provinces, Congo's National Institute of Public Health said.

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