African public health agency confirms Ebola outbreak in Congo

Africa's top public health agency said on Friday that there was a confirmed Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and global partners to reinforce cross-border surveillance, preparedness and response efforts.

It said about 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths had been reported, mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, while four deaths had been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases.

The agency said initial findings suggested the presence of a non-Zaire strain of the virus, with sequencing ongoing to further characterize it.

"Africa CDC is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara, intense population movement, mining-related mobility in Mongwalu," it added.

Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons, contaminated materials or persons who have died from the disease, the Africa CDC said.

-Reporting by Erikas Mwisi and Nilutpal Timsina;Editing by Alexander Winning)