Congolese health teams are screening all 255 people on board the Yingfeng 2 after stopping the vessel on the Congo River, about 65km upstream from Kinshasa.
The boat, run by a Chinese company, was intercepted near Bende Bende port. Authorities ordered the move after a passenger who had fever and diarrhea got off in Mongala Province and later died in hospital. Health officials say four other deaths have been linked to the same trip: two adults, a 3-year-old, and a newborn.
Staff from the Ministry of Health and the WHO have boarded and set up a mobile lab. So far, no one has tested positive for Ebola. Health Minister Roger Kamba said the risk looks low because 21 days have passed since exposure, but screening for both Ebola and cholera will continue.
The Yingfeng 2 left Mongala in north-western DR Congo 22 days ago and traveled more than 1,700km downstream. Kamba clarified there are no reported Ebola cases in Mongala, correcting earlier reports. The sick passenger had been on board for several days before being taken to Pimu health zone for treatment.
Security forces are holding the boat offshore under WHO quarantine rules to keep any potential case out of the capital. Rapid response teams are on standby.
The quarantine comes during DR Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak, declared on 15 May. This one is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which hasn’t been seen in more than 10 years and currently has no approved drug or vaccine. Human trials for a Bundibugyo vaccine are underway in the UK.
Three months in, the outbreak keeps growing. Officials report 3,973 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths, making it the country’s second deadliest outbreak. More than 17,000 people are being monitored as contacts. 674 patients are in isolation or treatment across five provinces, and 776 people have recovered.
In Kinshasa, officials are stepping up surveillance at Maluku, the city’s main entry point, to prepare for a possible Bundibugyo response.
For now, the government calls the boat measures precautionary, but they show how seriously authorities are treating the threat of the virus reaching the capital.
