Health officials in Congo on Sunday confirmed the first case of Ebola in the city of Goma, which is home to more than 1 million people.
The infected person with a confirmed case of the disease is a pastor who was in the northern part of the country, in Butembo, and arrived in the city Sunday. He traveled by bus more than 100 miles, and the 18 other passengers will be vaccinated on Monday.
{mosads}”Due to the speed with which the patient has been identified and isolated, as well as the identification of all passengers from Butembo, the risk of spreading to the rest of the city of Goma remains low,” the health officials said in a statement.
The case marks the latest in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country. More than 1,600 people have died in eastern Congo as the virus has spread to areas that have been deemed too dangerous for health officials to access. The outbreak, which started last August, is the second deadliest in history.
The new case also worried health officials because Goma borders Rwanda, which has been bracing for an outbreak. Two others have already died after carrying the virus to the neighboring country of Uganda.
Reid Wilson contributed.
Updated at 10:34 a.m.