DRC monitors 200 riverboat passengers after Ebola-like death

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are monitoring nearly 200 passengers on a riverboat near the capital, Kinshasa, after a traveler died with symptoms matching Ebola. The incident has heightened fears of the virus spreading to the densely populated capital, which has so far recorded no confirmed cases.

The boat, identified as the Yingfeng 2, arrived at the port of Maluku on the outskirts of Kinshasa on Wednesday, August 5, after a journey of nearly three weeks from northeastern Tshopo province. Officials stated that a passenger fell ill after disembarking in Mongala province, more than 1,000 kilometers from Kinshasa, and later died in a hospital. While tests to confirm Ebola are pending, all passengers and crew have been tested and placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure.

This containment effort comes as the country battles what officials have declared the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in its history. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, was declared in mid-May and has now reached nearly 4,000 confirmed cases, including more than 1,800 deaths. It is the largest outbreak in the DRC's history and the second-largest...