KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo has re-opened the airport in the capital city of the province hit hardest by the ongoing Ebola outbreak, a government statement said, reversing a move that some residents said had cut them off from critical supplies.
The government in Kinshasa announced last month that it was suspending passenger flights to Bunia, the main airport in Ituri, where the first Ebola cases were confirmed. Humanitarian and medical flights continued subject to approvals.
In a statement published late on Monday, Congo’s transport ministry said conditions were now in place “to allow a gradual and safe resumption of air transport activities” and that the airport would re-open immediately.
The ministry said all passengers would have their body temperatures screened before boarding and on arrival, that passengers were required to wash their hands before boarding and that any passenger with a fever would not be allowed to board.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak, on May 15, and the World Health Organization swiftly declared it a public health emergency of international concern.
The outbreak, already the third-largest on record, persisted for weeks undetected, say health officials, who are now behind the curve and struggling to bring it under control.
The decision to re-open the airport in Bunia followed a visit from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who told reporters on Monday he saw some encouraging signs in the response, including five certified recoveries. But he also noted the need to ramp up testing and treatment capacity and promote trust in health workers.
There have been 321 confirmed Ebola cases including 48 confirmed deaths, according to the latest government figures on Monday.
Ebola has reached 15 of 36 health zones in Ituri, and cases have also been reported in North and South Kivu provinces and in neighbouring Uganda.
The International Rescue Committee warned on Monday that the outbreak was probably significantly larger and more advanced than official figures suggested.
The aid agency said the virus might have been spreading for up to three months before the first official cases were detected in mid-May.
