Key facts
- DR Congo authorities are screening over 300 passengers on a river boat near Kinshasa for Ebola.
- Five deaths, including a child and newborn, have occurred on the boat.
- Seven passengers tested negative for Ebola.
- The boat was intercepted in Maluku, approximately 65 km upstream from Kinshasa.
- Health services are screening all boats arriving in Kinshasa following the alert.
DR Congo authorities have quarantined a river boat and are screening over 300 passengers for Ebola following five deaths, including a child and a newborn. Seven passengers tested negative for the virus, easing concerns of wider spread. The boat was intercepted near Kinshasa after a passenger who had traveled on board died in northwestern Mongala province. Health services are now screening all boats arriving in the capital to prevent further transmission of the virus, which has caused over 4,000 cases and 1,850 deaths in an ongoing outbreak.