By Gloria Ogbonna
The World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo likely began months before health officials detected it, raising fears that the disease has already spread much wider than initially believed.
Despite mounting concerns about the worsening situation in eastern Congo, W.H.O. officials stressed that the risk of global spread remains low and that there is currently no indication the outbreak poses a major international threat outside the region.
Speaking during a press conference, W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak represents a serious emergency for both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries, particularly Uganda.
“W.H.O. assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level,” Tedros stated.
Health officials expressed growing alarm over evidence suggesting Ebola circulated undetected in eastern Congo for weeks — and possibly months — before authorities officially confirmed the outbreak last Friday. According to W.H.O., this delay created a dangerous window in which infected individuals unknowingly spread the deadly virus through communities already destabilized by violence, displacement, and weak healthcare systems.
Tedros revealed that beyond the officially confirmed Ebola infections, nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths have already been identified. He warned that those figures are expected to rise sharply as investigators continue tracing earlier infections.
“Given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected, we expect those numbers to keep increasing,” he said.
The outbreak is centered in the conflict-ridden province of Ituri, a volatile region plagued by armed insurgencies, humanitarian crises, and mass displacement. Tedros explained that the worsening security situation has severely complicated efforts to contain the disease.
“The province of Ituri is highly insecure,” he said. “Conflict has intensified since late 2025, and fighting has escalated significantly over the past two months, with over 100,000 people newly displaced.”
Health experts fear the situation could become even more dangerous because Ituri is also a major mining zone with constant population movement. Workers, traders, refugees, and armed groups regularly travel across communities and borders, increasing the likelihood of wider transmission.
“The area is also a mining zone, with high levels of population movement that increase the risk of further spread,” Tedros added.
Investigators now believe the outbreak began at least two months before officials formally announced it. W.H.O. described a “critical four-week detection gap” between the first recorded symptoms and laboratory confirmation of Ebola.
Anais Legand said investigators are still trying to determine exactly where and when the outbreak began, but current evidence suggests the virus had already spread significantly before authorities became aware of it.
“Given the scale, we are thinking that it started probably a couple of months ago,” Legand explained.
The first known fatality linked to the outbreak occurred on April 24 at a medical center in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri province. However, Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said the victim was a healthcare worker, indicating the virus had likely already infected others before that death occurred.
Kamba said the funeral that followed may have become a devastating super-spreader event. According to health officials, mourners reportedly touched the victim’s body during burial ceremonies — a practice known to significantly increase Ebola transmission risks.
Soon afterward, W.H.O. received reports of “an unknown illness with high mortality” spreading through the mining town of Mongbwalu, where the funeral had taken place.
Kamba sharply criticized local responses to the outbreak, saying misinformation and traditional beliefs have hampered efforts to control infections. He accused some residents and community leaders of believing Ebola was caused by witchcraft instead of a viral disease.
According to Kamba, many infected individuals sought treatment from traditional healers and faith-based practitioners instead of going to hospitals, worsening the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, the MRC Center for Global Infectious Disease Analysis warned that the true scale of the outbreak could be dramatically larger than current estimates suggest. In a statement released Monday, researchers said there has likely been “substantial” under-detection of infections even after emergency alerts were issued.
The research group estimated the real number of Ebola infections could already exceed one thousand cases, far higher than the approximately 600 suspected infections currently being tracked by W.H.O.
Adding to concerns, one Ebola case has now been confirmed in Goma, a major city near the Ugandan border that has long worried epidemiologists because of its dense population and unstable security environment. Goma is partially controlled by rebel groups, raising fears that health officials may struggle to access patients and monitor transmission effectively.
The confirmed Goma case reportedly involves a woman who traveled there after her husband contracted Ebola and later died in Bunia.
The outbreak has also reignited political debate over global health funding and international response efforts. Several media organizations have linked the slow detection and response to reductions in foreign aid programs during the administration of President Donald Trump.
However, Tedros said it remains “too early to say” whether funding cuts directly contributed to delays in controlling the outbreak.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized W.H.O., arguing that the organization was slow to identify the outbreak.
“W.H.O. was a little late to identify this thing, unfortunately,” Rubio said.
Rubio announced that the United States has committed $13 million in emergency assistance to support containment efforts and plans to establish roughly fifty Ebola clinics across affected areas in the Congo. He acknowledged that the operation would be extremely challenging due to the difficult terrain and ongoing violence in Ituri province.
Tedros responded strongly to Rubio’s criticism on Wednesday, saying the remarks reflected “a lack of understanding” about the responsibilities shared among international organizations, governments, and health agencies during outbreak investigations.
W.H.O. also criticized the United States over recent travel bans affecting travelers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. The organization insisted that broad travel bans are not recommended under official outbreak-response guidelines and warned such restrictions can sometimes undermine international cooperation and transparency during health emergencies.
Source Breitbart
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