In brief
A Chinese company’s Yingfeng 2 was intercepted on the Congo River and stopped for Ebola screening after a passenger died of fever and diarrhoea. Five passengers, including a newborn, have died since the outbreak began on 15 May. Health authorities and WHO teams are conducting tests aboard the vessel, with no positives found so far. The ship represents a potential new risk for the capital, prompting heightened surveillance and quarantine measures.
The Yingfeng 2, a Chinese‑operated boat, was intercepted on the Congo River about 65 km upstream from Kinshasa, where authorities began Ebola and cholera screening for all 255 passengers after a passenger died of fever and diarrhoea.
Health Minister Roger Kamba said the screening was a precautionary measure following the death of a passenger in Mongala Province, who had been on the boat for several days and was taken to Pimu health zone for treatment. Three additional adults, a three‑year‑old child and a newborn have since died.
Teams from the health ministry and WHO boarded the vessel and set up a mobile laboratory to conduct rapid tests. "No one has tested positive yet, and it is likely no one will test positive after 21 days of incubation has elapsed," Kamba told reporters.
The boat departed from Mongala 22 days ago, an area that had no earlier Ebola cases, and travelled more than 1,700 km downstream toward Kinshasa before being intercepted.
DR Congo is dealing with its 17th Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain. Officially, there have been 3,973 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths. No specific treatments or vaccine exist for Bundibugyo, though trials in the UK are underway.
Authorities are monitoring over 17,000 people who have contacted Ebola cases, with 674 patients in isolation or treatment across five provinces, and 776 recoveries recorded. Kinshasa’s main entry points are tightening surveillance and fast‑response capabilities in anticipation of a possible epidemic surge.
