The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri Province which is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the ministry of transport said on Saturday.
According to an official statement, no aircraft will be allowed to land at or take off from Bunia Airport until further notice. However, humanitarian, medical and emergency flights may be authorised subject to approval from aviation and health authorities, the ministry said.
An Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri on May 15, with Bunia among the main affected areas. The outbreak has since spread to neighboring North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Uganda, which borders Ituri, has also reported confirmed cases.
Situation ‘deeply worrisome’
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that the situation in the DRC is “deeply worrisome”, citing 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths. He added that the actual scale of the outbreak is believed to be significantly larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
Uganda’s ministry of health said on Saturday that three new Ebola cases had been confirmed in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to five.
- The DRC government has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province.
- Bunia Airport will only allow humanitarian, medical, and emergency flights subject to approval from relevant authorities.
- The Ebola outbreak, declared on May 15, has spread from Ituri to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and Uganda has also reported confirmed cases.
- WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as "deeply worrisome," with 82 confirmed cases and seven deaths; actual figures may be higher with many suspected cases.
- Uganda confirmed three new Ebola cases, raising its total to five confirmed infections.
An Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri on May 15, with Bunia among the main affected areas.
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