The University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) is playing a pivotal role in the continent’s response to a newly confirmed Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
UWC Extraordinary Professor, Placide Mbala, a citizen of the DRC who works for the INRB at the University of Kinshasha, is a member of SANBI, which is at the centre of the response to the outbreak. SANBI is contributing advanced genomic analysis and digital surveillance tools to help track and contain the spread of the virus.
The outbreak – confirmed in Kasai province – has already claimed 15 lives, with 28 suspected cases reported across Bulape and Mweka health zones. The index case, a 34-year-old pregnant woman, presented with high fever and vomiting. Subsequent testing identified the Zaire strain of Ebola virus, known for its high fatality rate and rapid transmission.
This marks the DRC’s 16th Ebola outbreak and the first in Kasai since 2008. Africa CDC has deployed emergency teams to support contact tracing, laboratory diagnostics and infection control. SANBI’s involvement ensures that cutting-edge bioinformatics and genomic sequencing are part of the response – strengthening Africa’s capacity to understand viral evolution and transmission patterns in real time.
UWC’s contribution is further reflected in the work of Professor Mbala, whose leadership in outbreak detection and genomic surveillance has earned global recognition. Read more about his impact in TIME100 Health.
The latest genomic analysis suggests this outbreak may be a new zoonotic spillover event from an unknown reservoir host, rather than a continuation of previous outbreaks. For technical details and sequencing insights, see the full report on Virological.org.
For more details, visit Africa CDC’s official announcement.
