At least 80 deaths have been reported in DR Congo's new Ebola disease outbreak in the eastern Ituri province, authorities said, as health workers raced on Saturday to intensify screening and contact tracing to contain the disease. Officials first announced the outbreak on Friday, with 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases.

Meanwhile, Associated Press journalists in Ituri’s capital, Bunia, interviewed locals who recounted their fears and constant burials.

“In a single day, we bury two, three, or even more people,” said Jean Marc Asimwe, a resident of Bunia. “At this point, we don’t really know what kind of disease it is,” said Asimwe.

Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said late on Friday that there have been eight laboratory-confirmed cases, among them four deaths.

Highly contagious

Test results confirmed the Bundibugyo virus, a variant of the disease that has been less prominent in DR Congo’s past outbreaks. This is Congo’s 17th outbreak since Ebola first emerged in the country in 1976.

Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.

The suspected index case in the latest outbreak is a nurse who died at a hospital in Bunia, Kamba said. He said the case dates back three weeks to April 24.

He did not say whether samples from the nurse were tested, but said the person presented symptoms suggestive of Ebola.

Logistical challenges

DR Congo has experience in managing Ebola outbreaks but often faces logistical challenges to get expertise and supplies to affected regions.

As Africa’s second-largest country by land area, DR Congo’s provinces are far from one another. Ituri, for instance, is around 1,000 kilometres from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa.

The disease is so far confirmed in three health zones in the Ituri province, including the capital city, Bunia, as well as in Rwampara and Mongwalu where the outbreak is concentrated.

Thirteen blood samples have been tested at the National Institute of Biomedical Research, eight returning positive with the Bundibugyo strain. The remaining five could not be analysed due to an insufficient volume of samples, the health minister said.

In Bunia, business appears to be normal

In Bunia, Ituri's main city, businesses and regular activities at public places appeared to be normal on Friday.

Resident Adeline Awekonimungu said she hopes the outbreak is quickly contained. "My recommendation is that the government takes charge of the hospitals so that this matter can be brought under control,” she said.

Uganda also has confirmed an Ebola case. The person died at a hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control ​and Prevention had said it is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan.