KINSHASA/ADDIS ABABA/HARARE/SAO PAOLO - Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached 343, the country's Health Minister Roger Kamba said Monday, cited by the Congolese Press Agency (ACP), the country's official news outlet.

The announcement came after coordination meetings on the Ebola response, chaired by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa.

Kamba said that response operations are now better targeted following a government mission to Bunia, the capital of the eastern Ituri province and the epicenter of the outbreak.

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Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said that Bunia Airport, currently closed except for humanitarian flights, is expected to reopen this week.

"The Bunia airport will be reopened this week, because preventive measures facilities, notably for handwashing and temperature checks, have been put in place," Muyaya was quoted by ACP as saying. "This reopening will help facilitate the delivery of support for the response."

The latest outbreak, declared on May 15, is the 17th in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976.

'Lack of vaccine, cross-border movement risk Ebola spread'

In Addis Ababa, Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Jean Kaseya has warned that the lack of licensed vaccine to the Bundibugyo Ebola strain and intense cross-border movement threaten regional spread of Ebola, as the number of suspected cases topped 1,130.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, the Africa CDC chief said the lack of licensed vaccine and medicines to the Bundibugyo Ebola virus makes the current outbreak in the DRC and Uganda "particularly concerning."

"At the same time, intense cross-border movement between the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan creates conditions for regional spread if response efforts are not sustained and adequately funded," Kaseya told Xinhua, as he emphasized the vital need for adequate resources and robust regional coordination.

Data from the African Union's specialized healthcare agency showed that, as of Friday, some 1,139 suspected cases, were reported across the DRC since May 15. Confirmed cases have also been recorded in Uganda.

In addition to the two affected countries, 11 other countries across the continent are now at high risk of being affected, namely South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Somalia.

"The outbreak is also placing significant pressure on frontline health workers. Nineteen health workers have been infected and six have died. Protecting health workers remains a top priority," Kaseya said.

Meanwhile, the Africa CDC chief highlighted "encouraging signs," citing that a confirmed patient was recently discharged after recovery, "demonstrating that early detection, quality clinical care and coordinated response efforts save lives."

Kaseya also warned that fear-driven travel restrictions imposed on African countries due to the current Ebola outbreak undermine transparency and disrupt critical health operations.

Zimbabwe isolation centers

In Zimbabwe, authorities have established three isolation centers for Ebola virus disease amid heightened national vigilance, Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said on Monday.

Addressing a press conference in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, Mombeshora said the isolation facilities have been designated in Harare, the second-largest city of Bulawayo, and Chirundu on the border with Zambia.

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Transportation has been arranged and personal protective equipment prepositioned while emergency coordination mechanisms remain active, the minister said.

Mombeshora noted that although Zimbabwe has not reported any case of the viral disease, the country remains on high alert and has activated its preparedness measures and incident management systems under a comprehensive operational response plan.

Brazil rules out suspected Ebola case

Also on Monday, Brazilian authorities ruled out a suspected Ebola case in Sao Paulo state after laboratory tests found no genetic material from the virus.

The patient, a 37-year-old man who recently arrived from the DRC and had a recent travel history, showed symptoms including fever and diarrhea, which fall under Ebola surveillance protocols.

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The patient remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit of the Emilio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases, a reference center in Brazil for suspected or confirmed Ebola cases.

The health department said the risk of Ebola being introduced into Brazil and South America remains very low, citing the lack of local transmission, the absence of direct flights from affected areas, and the fact that Ebola requires direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people.