The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned mass gatherings in Kinshasa and three additional provinces as authorities move to prevent the spread of Ebola to the capital. The current outbreak has been confirmed in three eastern provinces, Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, located approximately 1,800 kilometres from Kinshasa, a city of 18 million people.
The ban, issued by Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani on Saturday, also covers the provinces of Tshopo, Haut-Uele and Bas-Uele, which border the confirmed outbreak zones. Mass gatherings had already been prohibited in the three affected eastern provinces for several weeks. Ituri is by far the worst-affected province, accounting for more than 90% of all infections.
On the day the ban was announced, confirmed cases across the affected provinces rose by 47, bringing the total to 1,274 infections and 360 deaths.
Political opposition to the order
Prominent figures from DR Congo's opposition have criticised the directive, alleging it was timed to suppress a protest march scheduled for 8 July, organised by the C64 coalition -- an alliance opposed to a proposed law that critics say could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to remain in power beyond his two-term limit.
Prince Epenge, spokesperson for the opposition Lamuka coalition, described the government's decision as "political", noting that no cases have been confirmed in Kinshasa. "It is not legitimate. We cannot accept this decision," he told the BBC.
Rodrigue Ramazani, secretary-general of opposition party Envol, urged protesters to ignore the ban, saying the directive "reeks of a political manoeuvre rather than a public health measure."
A French doctor and quarantine measures
Concerns over the spread of the virus beyond eastern Congo were heightened after a doctor who tested positive for Ebola in France was found to have passed through Kinshasa while travelling home from one of the towns at the epicentre of the outbreak, where he had been working at an Ebola treatment centre.
Following that development, the Congolese government ordered a 21-day quarantine for travellers moving from Ebola-affected areas to other parts of the country.
Regional spread and vaccine gap
DR Congo's neighbour Uganda has also confirmed Ebola cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 20 people are known to have been infected there, with two deaths confirmed.
The current outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine. However, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) told the BBC on Monday that trials for new antiviral drugs could begin as early as this week.
Both Africa CDC and US public health authorities have warned that the outbreak has the potential to be one of the largest on record, partly because it spread undetected for several weeks before being confirmed as Ebola.
The WHO has also cautioned that ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo is complicating efforts to contain the disease. The M23 rebel group currently controls large parts of both North and South Kivu.
According to information from BBC
