BUNIA, DR Congo — Fear and caution are spreading across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as health authorities struggle to contain a fast-growing Ebola outbreak that the World Health Organization has now rated as a “very high” risk at the national level.
The outbreak, centred in Ituri province, involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk is now “very high” inside DR Congo, “high” at regional level and “low” globally, reflecting concern that the virus could spread further in a country already weakened by conflict and poor health infrastructure.
The numbers have risen quickly. WHO-linked figures showed 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths in DR Congo, alongside almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. By May 24, Tedros said more than 900 suspected Ebola cases had been identified, including 101 confirmed infections.
In affected communities, residents are taking their own precautions. Some transport operators say they are limiting passengers to reduce close contact, while families are avoiding crowded areas and watching for symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and unexplained bleeding.
But health workers face serious obstacles. Hospitals in eastern Congo are struggling with limited isolation space, shortages of protective equipment and too few trained staff. The response has also been disrupted by insecurity, misinformation and public anger over safe-burial rules.
Ebola remains highly infectious after death, so victims must be buried by trained teams using protective equipment. That requirement has triggered tension in communities where families want to recover bodies for traditional funerals. In recent days, young men stormed a hospital in Mongbwalu demanding the bodies of relatives suspected of dying from Ebola. Medical staff were forced to evacuate, and it was the third attack on health facilities in one week.
The outbreak was confirmed by DR Congo’s Ministry of Health on May 15 in Ituri province, after WHO was alerted earlier in the month to a high-mortality illness in Mongbwalu Health Zone. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that as of May 16, authorities had already reported 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths.
Neighbouring countries are also on alert because of cross-border trade and movement. WHO has warned that countries sharing land borders with DR Congo face a high risk of further spread because of population mobility and uncertainty over the outbreak’s true scale.
For Congolese authorities, the immediate challenge is to isolate suspected patients, rebuild trust and protect health workers. Without faster containment, officials fear the outbreak could spread deeper into communities already living with conflict, displacement and fragile public services.
