The World Health Organization reported 534 confirmed Ebola cases and 93 confirmed deaths as responders in eastern Congo work to contain the Bundibugyo strain amid insecurity, misinformation and attacks on treatment sites.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Confirmed Ebola cases in central Africa have risen above 500, with health officials reporting 534 infections and 93 confirmed deaths in an outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and now extending into Uganda.
The latest World Health Organization update said most confirmed cases remain in Congo, where 515 infections have been documented. The remaining confirmed cases are in Uganda, which has reported two of the confirmed deaths and four of the 16 recoveries. Another 117 people are being monitored as suspected but unconfirmed Ebola cases.
The outbreak was identified by the WHO in May, though the agency has acknowledged it may have begun as early as January. It was first detected in Ituri province in eastern Congo before spreading across the border into Uganda.
Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever that has caused repeated outbreaks in central and western Africa. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no known treatment and no approved vaccine. Vaccines and antiviral treatments have been developed for the Zaire strain after earlier outbreaks, but health experts do not believe those tools can be used against Bundibugyo at this time, leaving local health workers with limited options.
The confirmed numbers reflect a serious expansion of the outbreak, but they also suggest that screening and testing have improved. In late May, the WHO reported that suspected Ebola cases had approached 1,000, with suspected deaths at 223, according to a disease outbreak notice. Testing has since reduced those figures after officials determined that many suspected cases were malaria or other infections common in the region with similar symptoms.
Containing the disease has been complicated by insecurity, distrust of medical teams, local burial customs that involve contact with the dead and armed conflict in eastern Congo. Multiple militias, including at least one linked to the Islamic State, are fighting for control in the region.
Aid workers and local responders have faced violence while trying to operate Ebola isolation and treatment centers. Some residents do not believe Ebola is real and fear outbreak teams are attempting to kill local people as part of “population control,” a belief documented in research on Ebola-related distrust and misinformation. Others believe the disease cannot be treated through standard medical care and instead seek help from traditional herbalists, according to a published analysis.
Authorities documented at least three mob attacks on treatment facilities in May. Attackers have sought to retrieve bodies for traditional burials, which can expose mourners to the virus, or to help living patients “escape” from facilities they fear are meant to harm them.
Congolese outlet Radio Okapi reported Saturday that United Nations peacekeepers have been deployed in Ituri to help protect Ebola treatment sites. The peacekeepers are working to secure health personnel and medical facilities in areas where misinformation and distrust remain. They are also helping provide security at burials conducted under health protocols, where authorities are trying to prevent attacks by residents angry that traditional burial practices are not being followed.
The WHO has responded to public distrust by sending Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to Bunia, the capital of Ituri, at the end of the month. Tedros published an open letter to Congolese residents, saying that as an African he understood why some people distrust international aid workers and that he would travel to the area personally to hear local concerns. His message was also shared in a post on X.
“Trust must be earned, it cannot be assumed. We have not always done things correctly. But I promise you, we are here to learn as much as we are here to help,” Tedros wrote.
The WHO and Congo’s government also issued a statement at the end of May urging communities to participate in the response, saying local cooperation is essential to ending the outbreak.
“Central to this response is the recognition that communities are at the heart of the solution. Success will depend on the trust, engagement, and leadership of local communities,” the statement said. “National and provincial authorities, with support from WHO and partners, are intensifying dialogue with community leaders, women’s groups, youth representatives, religious leaders and the private sector to better understand local concerns and co-develop solutions that are culturally appropriate and effective.”
Tedros is now in Uganda, where officials are working to prevent the outbreak from expanding further. He praised Uganda’s travel screening efforts and described the response there as “prompt and capable,” according to another post on X.
There are signs that the response may be gaining ground in some areas. Radio Okapi reported Saturday that “acts of resistance and threats against response teams seem to be gradually decreasing” in recent weeks.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director general of Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, also said conditions have improved. In an interview published Monday, he said local diagnostic capacity has expanded, including with new laboratories closer to the outbreak zone.
“We have strengthened our diagnostic capacity by deploying new laboratories, such as in Mongbwalu, which allows us to quickly analyse reported cases in the epicentre of the outbreak,” Muyembe said. “Contact tracing has also improved, the population is more aware, and working conditions are better.”
The outbreak remains dangerous because of the virus strain, the lack of a dedicated vaccine or approved treatment, and the volatile conditions in eastern Congo. Health officials are now trying to contain the spread while rebuilding trust in communities where fear, armed conflict and misinformation have repeatedly disrupted the Ebola response.
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