KINSHASA, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have launched a response in the capital, Kinshasa, after a boat carrying more than 200 passengers arrived earlier Wednesday amid an alert linked to a suspected Ebola case, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The alert has raised concern over the risk of the outbreak spreading through river transport to the national capital, which is not among the five provinces currently affected by the outbreak.
The vessel arrived at the Bende-Bende port in Maluku, a municipality in eastern Kinshasa, the IOM said in a social media post.
The UN migration agency said it was supporting the DRC's National Border Health Program, the central government and health authorities in responding to the alert. It did not provide details about the suspected case, the condition of the passengers or the control measures being implemented at the port.
The latest national Ebola situation report, published Tuesday, called for the tracing of an Ebola death that occurred aboard a boat that left Kisangani, the capital of the northeastern Tshopo Province, between July 19 and 21. The report did not identify the vessel or its destination, and authorities have not confirmed whether the incident was linked to the boat that arrived in Kinshasa.
The report warned that the geographical expansion of the outbreak and high population mobility posed risks of urban, riverborne and cross-border spread.
The DRC's Ebola outbreak has so far affected 51 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and South Kivu provinces. The country has so far recorded 3,874 confirmed cases, including 1,751 deaths. ■
