Ebola outbreak reaches new province in Democratic Republic of Congo
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ebola epidemic has expanded into a fourth province, Haut-Uélé, according to health authorities. Since the outbreak was declared in May, the virus has infected 1,274 people and claimed 360 lives. The Ituri province remains the epicenter of the crisis, while health teams struggle to contain the spread in a region plagued by access challenges, armed violence, and widespread distrust among the population.
Initially, three Congolese provinces were affected by the Ebola outbreak: Ituri (bordering Uganda and South Sudan), neighboring North-Kivu, and South-Kivu. Two deaths were reported among the 20 cases confirmed in Uganda.
Haut-Uélé has now become the fourth province grappling with the virus. Bordering Ituri, this region shares its frontiers with South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
Health officials at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) confirmed that an infected individual traveled from Ituri to Haut-Uélé, introducing the virus to the area. Tragically, the patient later succumbed to the disease.
Listen back: “We will contain this outbreak, but it will take longer than expected,” stated Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe.
Health authorities are working to trace transmission chains and identify potential contacts. Funeral rites have been a major source of transmission, as the bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious. For weeks, humanitarian workers have been organizing burials in affected zones, despite strong local resistance, to ensure safe, sanitary practices that prevent human contact with the deceased.
In the DRC and across Africa, traditional funeral ceremonies often span several days, during which family members and friends typically touch the deceased’s body.
Armed groups exacerbate the crisis in eastern DRC
Recent weeks have seen escalating tensions in several health centers, including violent confrontations by grieving communities demanding the return of their loved ones’ remains.
Haut-Uélé shares striking similarities with Ituri: both are remote borderlands rich in gold, turning them into bustling transit hubs that facilitate virus spread. These regions are also trapped in cycles of armed conflict. In Ituri, massacres have persisted for over a decade, driven by community militias and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an ISIS-affiliated armed group.
The ADF has recently extended its operations into Haut-Uélé, which is also destabilized by armed groups from neighboring countries. The escalating insecurity has severely hampered the Ebola response, which was already delayed by delayed virus detection, according to humanitarian and scientific sources.
Preliminary epidemiological investigations suggest the first suspicious deaths may date back to January. While efforts in Ituri have intensified, the health infrastructure—already under-resourced in one of the world’s poorest nations—lacks basic supplies like protective gear and chlorine. Ebola treatment centers, set up with support from the WHO and NGOs, are operating at over 138% capacity, according to the National Institute of Public Health (INSP). So far, 78 healthcare workers have been infected, including 18 fatalities.
Experts and health officials warn that six weeks after the official declaration of the outbreak, the peak has yet to be reached. The crisis could persist for another six months to a year. Ebola, transmitted through bodily fluids, has killed over 15,000 people in Africa over the past five decades. The deadliest outbreak in the DRC claimed nearly 2,300 lives and sickened 3,500 between 2018 and 2020.
