The World Health Organization has confirmed over 900 suspected Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 101 confirmed infections, as armed conflict and mass displacement severely hamper containment efforts.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told dzwatch that in Ituri province, the outbreak’s epicenter, nearly 5 million people live amid ongoing conflict, with one in four requiring humanitarian aid and one in five internally displaced.
“Violence is forcing people to flee — including healthcare and humanitarian workers — severely hindering contact tracing and early case detection,” he warned, noting communities face multiple disease threats simultaneously.
The African Union’s Africa CDC has cautioned that the outbreak threatens ten additional nations beyond DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Angola, Central African Republic, and Zambia.
The current outbreak, triggered by the rare Bundibugyo strain detected on May 15, has no approved vaccine or treatment. The WHO has declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, rating national epidemic risk as “very high.”
