The specialists are working on contact tracing and collecting samples on the ground to identify suspected cases and break the chain of transmission, primarily in the Mongwalu and Rwampara areas, where the disease has been confirmed.

According to the WHO, additional experts in risk communication, infection prevention and control, clinical care, and logistics will arrive in the coming days. Five metric tons of medical supplies and protective equipment have also been sent to Bunia, the capital of Ituri.

The UN agency has also released $500,000 from its Emergency Fund to support the response in a complex area due to attacks by armed groups and a high number of internally displaced persons.

Yesterday, the DRC government officially declared the seventeenth Ebola outbreak in the health zones of Rwampara, Mongwalu, and Bunia, in Ituri province. To date, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths have been reported, including four confirmed cases. Measures such as strengthening epidemiological surveillance, actively searching for cases, tracing contacts, and increasing laboratory testing capacity were immediately implemented.

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