Omanghana
photo by news.net
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as fatalities continue to rise rapidly across the country’s eastern region.
The declaration, announced on May 17, 2026, comes as health authorities struggle to contain the outbreak centered in Ituri Province, where local communities are reporting near-daily burials amid mounting deaths and growing panic.
According to figures released by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), officials have identified more than 336 suspected Ebola cases, with at least 87 confirmed deaths linked to the outbreak so far.
The epidemic is spreading primarily across three health zones in Ituri Province. The gold-mining town of Mongbwalu remains the deadliest hotspot, accounting for 57 deaths. Rwampara has recorded 27 deaths, while the provincial capital Bunia has reported three fatalities.
Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba stated that the suspected index case was a local nurse who developed severe hemorrhagic symptoms before dying at a hospital in Bunia on April 24. Health officials believe the patient’s death marked the beginning of the current transmission chain.
Laboratory analysis has confirmed that the outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a variant that presents major challenges for international health authorities. Unlike the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, there are currently no approved vaccines or targeted therapeutic treatments available for the Bundibugyo variant.
Health experts have also raised concerns over the demographic spread of infections. The WHO noted that more than 60% of reported cases involve women, highlighting heightened risks associated with caregiving duties and traditional burial practices within affected communities. Four healthcare workers have also died during the outbreak, further straining already fragile medical systems in the region.
Containment efforts are being complicated by ongoing insecurity in eastern Congo, where armed groups linked to the Islamic State continue to carry out violent attacks. Authorities say the unstable security situation has limited the ability of rapid-response teams to conduct effective contact tracing, establish isolation centers, and safely access remote communities.
The outbreak has already crossed international borders. Uganda confirmed an imported Ebola case involving a traveler from the DRC who later died at a hospital in Kampala. Border health officials are now intensifying screening operations at key crossings near South Sudan and Uganda in an effort to prevent wider regional transmission.
Global health agencies warn that without rapid containment and improved security access, the outbreak could escalate into one of the region’s most dangerous Ebola emergencies in recent years.
Source: Omanghana
