Ebola‑hot boat intercepted on Congo River
A Chinese‑owned vessel, the Yingfeng 2, was halted 65 kilometres from Kinshasa after a passenger who was suffering from fever and diarrhoea died in a hospital in Mongala Province. Accumulating at least five deaths—including a newborn—on board, Congolese authorities set up a mobile test lab to screen every one of the 255 passengers on the boat.
Health Minister Roger Kamba said the screening was a precautionary move; “For now, no‑one has tested positive, and it is likely no‑one will be positive after 21 days of incubation has elapsed,” he told reporters. The vessel had left Mongala 22 days ago, a region that had no previous Ebola cases.
WHO teams boarded the boat and arranged an isolation zone, following stringent protocols to keep the virus from reaching the capital. Security services directed the vessel to be quarantined offshore, with standby health teams ready in case the boat’s situation changes.
The DR Congo has been battling its 17th Ebola outbreak, triggered by the Bundibugyo strain that had been dormant for a decade. While no specific drug targets this strain and vaccines are still under trial, the country has confirmed 3,973 cases and 1,801 deaths to date.
More than 17,000 people are under monitoring after contact with known cases, while 674 patients remain in isolation or treatment across five provinces.
In Kinshasa, surveillance at the city’s main entry point, the Maluku port, has been reinforced, signalling a “precautionary” but serious stance from officials.
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