Health workers report rising Ebola burden in eastern Congo

Health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are scrambling to contain an Ebola outbreak that the government declared on May 15 and that has since grown to more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths, according to World Health Organization figures released Monday. The suspected caseload has raised fears that the disease may have circulated longer than officials initially recognized, complicating efforts to locate infections and break transmission chains.

NPR reported that World Health Organization officials said the early figures likely understate the true scale because the outbreak had gone undetected for some time. WHO officials also warned that the potential for rapid spread is high, and on Friday the agency increased its national risk level for the disease to “very high.”

WHO warns rapid spread risk as response scales up

Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO director of health emergency alert and response operations, told reporters that “The potential of this virus spreading rapidly is high, very high, and that changed the whole dynamic.” WHO describes Ebola as a viral illness that can cause vomiting and fever and sometimes bleeding, with symptoms that may take weeks to appear and a disease that is often fatal.

In the wake of the outbreak declaration, Congolese health workers, UN staff, and aid organizations launched a large-scale response, including setting up Ebola treatment centers in eastern Congo. Even so, NPR said Ebola was likely spreading for weeks—if not months—before it was detected, and that late diagnosis made the number of people already infected “unknown” and harder to manage.

Early signal traced to Bunia nurse as officials probe delayed detection

The first known case, NPR reported, involved a nurse who developed symptoms on April 24 in Bunia, in Ituri province in eastern Congo. An internal report by the Congolese health ministry described the nurse as being buried in Mongbwalu, also in Ituri.

NPR said the ministry report pointed to unexplained deaths in Mongbwalu during April, including deaths of four health workers in a single week. The report attributed some of the community reaction to fear and misinformation, saying there was “widespread panic among the population, fueled by rumors of supernatural causes” over deaths.

The report also described further spillover into the health system: NPR said three Red Cross volunteers in the region died from suspected Ebola after reportedly handling infected bodies.

Treatment and vaccination challenges tied to virus type

NPR reported that some delays in identifying the outbreak were linked to the rarer Ebola species circulating. Congo has experienced 17 official Ebola outbreaks since 1976, and NPR said most have been caused by the Zaire species, for which there is a vaccine.

In contrast, NPR said the current outbreak is caused by a less-studied species named Bundibugyo, according to Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research. That difference affects how responders approach the outbreak with available tools.

Mistrust and attacks on clinics complicate containment

Beyond the medical challenge, NPR reported that responders face a persistent trust barrier in remote mining areas where officials are trying to operate. The Federation’s regional operations coordinator, Gabriela Arenas, told reporters via video link from Nairobi that “Community reactions remain mixed,” and that “For some people, the outbreak is very real and they are seeking information on how to protect themselves, and better protect their families.”

Arenas added that for others, suspicion and misinformation persist, including claims that Ebola is fabricated. NPR said angry residents attacked health clinics or treatment centers in Mongbwalu and Rwampara, sometimes setting fire to medical tents, and that such incidents occurred just twice in the previous week.

Armed conflict and poor infrastructure raise the stakes

For health responders, NPR said much of eastern Congo presents major obstacles beyond the virus itself, including violent armed groups and very poor road infrastructure. Ituri, described as the outbreak’s epicenter, has experienced massacres involving armed groups such as Codeco and the Islamic State-aligned ADF.

The towns most associated with outbreak hotspots—Mongbwalu and Rwampara—are also described as difficult to operate in because they are rough mining communities with cramped and unsanitary living and working conditions. NPR reported that outsiders are relatively rare there, leaving responders with a limited window to persuade communities and establish safe operations amid insecurity.

Risk expands regionally as cases appear in multiple provinces

NPR reported that confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu as well, areas where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels control large parts of territory. The spread beyond the initial epicenter adds pressure to coordinate across different security environments.

The region’s economies and major cities also sit close to national boundaries, NPR said, and that geography increases the chance of cross-border transmission. Uganda shares a land border with Ituri, and NPR said Uganda is trying to contain a smaller outbreak after two Congolese people who were infected traveled into Uganda.

NPR reported that Uganda’s ministry of health announced it had recorded three more Ebola cases over the weekend, bringing Uganda’s total to seven confirmed cases as of Monday. It said Uganda temporarily halted flights to and from Congo and restricted crossings at land borders.

NPR reported that the response in Congo is also being shaped by constraints in external support. U.S. aid cuts are complicating the response, Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said, and he called last week for increased funding to fight the disease.

Speaking in Kinshasa, the minister said, “The virus knows no borders, it knows no race, it knows no tribe,” adding, “The virus affects us all.”