By Elsie Kamsiyochi
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an alarming warning over the rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saying the virus may have been silently spreading for nearly two months before authorities officially identified it. Health officials fear the crisis could worsen significantly in the coming weeks as the rare and deadly Bundibugyo strain continues to spread in densely populated communities.
The outbreak, which has already been linked to more than 130 suspected deaths, was officially declared last Friday after weeks of undetected transmission in conflict-affected parts of eastern Congo. According to WHO officials, the prolonged delay in identifying the outbreak allowed infections to spread unchecked, creating major challenges for health workers trying to trace contacts and isolate infected individuals.
Speaking in Geneva on Wednesday, WHO technical officer for viral threats Anais Legand said investigations are still underway to determine exactly when and where the outbreak began. However, based on the number of suspected infections and the scale of transmission, health experts now believe the virus likely began circulating at least two months ago.
“Given the scale, we are thinking that it probably started a couple of months ago,” Legand told reporters, underscoring fears that the situation may already be far more severe than initial estimates suggested.
So far, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said approximately 600 suspected Ebola cases and 139 suspected deaths have been recorded in Congo. Laboratory tests have confirmed 51 Ebola cases inside the DRC, while neighboring Uganda has reported two confirmed infections, raising concerns about cross-border spread in East Africa.
Despite the worsening numbers, WHO officials stopped short of describing the outbreak as a global pandemic emergency. After an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the WHO Emergency Committee classified the crisis as a public health emergency of international concern, signaling the seriousness of the threat while noting that the risk remains concentrated primarily in the region.
Tedros said WHO currently considers the epidemic risk to be high at both national and regional levels, but low globally. Even so, health agencies are racing against time to prevent wider transmission.
What makes this outbreak particularly troubling is that it involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola — a rarer form of the disease for which no approved vaccine or virus-specific treatment currently exists. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, which has licensed vaccines and therapeutics, medical experts are facing a dangerous lack of tools to combat this version of the virus.
WHO officials said researchers are exploring two possible vaccine candidates, but development and deployment could take anywhere between three and nine months, leaving health authorities heavily dependent on traditional containment measures such as testing, quarantine, and contact tracing.
The Bundibugyo strain carries an average fatality rate of around 40%, making rapid intervention essential. However, testing capacity in affected areas remains limited, complicating efforts to confirm cases quickly and contain outbreaks before they spread further.
Experts suspect that the virus may have accelerated after what they describe as a possible “super-spreader event,” potentially linked to a funeral or healthcare facility. WHO investigators said the first suspected Ebola death was reported around April 20, and infections may have surged afterward due to close physical contact during burials or inadequate infection control in medical settings.
Adding to the crisis, Reuters previously reported that confirmation of the outbreak may have been slowed by errors in medical testing. Early patient samples reportedly tested negative for the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, and further laboratory escalation did not happen quickly enough, delaying recognition of the Bundibugyo outbreak.
The current outbreak has revived painful memories of Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 Ebola epidemic involving the Zaire strain, which killed nearly 2,300 people and became the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.
“Our absolute priority now is to identify all existing chains of transmission,” said WHO emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu, emphasizing that authorities are urgently trying to understand the true scale of infections and ensure treatment reaches affected communities.
The outbreak is already affecting international medical personnel. Among confirmed cases is an American doctor working in Congo who has since been transferred to Germany for treatment. Another U.S. doctor exposed to an Ebola patient in Uganda is reportedly being moved to a hospital in Prague for monitoring and care.
As international concern grows, governments have begun mobilizing financial support. The United States announced an initial $13 million emergency response package aimed at helping contain the outbreak, including support for opening 50 Ebola treatment clinics across affected areas. Meanwhile, South Africa has pledged an additional $2.5 million to assist containment efforts.
Public health experts have also raised concerns that recent reductions in international global health funding may have weakened outbreak preparedness systems, potentially contributing to delays in detection and response. However, Tedros said it remains too early to determine whether funding cuts directly affected Congo’s ability to respond swiftly.
With no approved vaccine, limited testing resources, and evidence suggesting the virus spread unnoticed for weeks, WHO officials are warning that the outbreak is expected to grow before it improves. For now, health workers face an uphill battle to track infections and prevent the disease from tightening its grip across the region.
Source Reuters
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