Rebel-held eastern Congo records new Ebola case after declaring outbreak over

DAKAR, Sept 4 (Reuters) – A new Ebola case has been recorded in an area controlled by AFC/M23 rebels in eastern Congo, the group said, more than two months after it declared the outbreak over in the territory it holds.

• The Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels, who control large parts of North and South Kivu provinces after staging a lightning offensive last year, declared areas under their control Ebola-free in late June, after 21 days without new cases.

• The latest case was detected in the Kayna health zone in North Kivu, near Lubero, the rebels said in a statement on Thursday.

• The patient, a 21-year-old man, arrived from Butembo, a city in government-held territory, the statement said. It was not clear where he had contracted the virus.

• He was identified as a suspected Ebola case at a health checkpoint on Wednesday and transferred to a quarantine facility, where tests confirmed infection the following day, the rebels said.

• Health authorities said they had begun tracing contacts and stepped up surveillance to prevent further spread of the virus.

• Rebel-held areas had recorded only four Ebola cases since the outbreak was declared in mid-May.

• AFC/M23 officials had highlighted their handling of the outbreak as evidence of their ability to govern. Rwanda denies backing the rebels.

(Reporting by Congo newsroom; Writing by Clement Bonnerot; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Kevin Liffey)