Kehinde Adegoke | Agency Report
World Health Organisation Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived Saturday in Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of a severe outbreak of a rare strain of Ebola. His visit comes as the virus spreads faster than the response can keep pace, despite improved health facilities and new aid deliveries.
Tedros is expected to tour a treatment centre in Bunia, meet local authorities and health workers, and speak with affected families. “The best way to address this is to provide all the necessary support at the epicentre and to continue offering every assistance needed,” he told reporters. He stressed that while international partners are helping the DRC government, “community ownership is important. We are here to discuss with the community, to see how the response is running and if there are challenges to help.”
Scale of the Outbreak
The highly contagious haemorrhagic fever has already spread across three eastern provinces of the DRC and into neighbouring Uganda. WHO warns the true reach of the outbreak is likely wider, as the country’s limited laboratory capacity hampers case confirmation.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been at least 1,077 suspected cases and 246 deaths. Uganda’s Ministry of Health confirmed nine infections and one death on Friday. WHO also announced the first recovery in this outbreak, with a patient discharged after two negative tests.
Ebola, transmitted through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past five decades. The deadliest DRC outbreak claimed nearly 2,300 lives between 2018 and 2020.
Conflict and Border Closures
The response is complicated by insecurity in Ituri, where state services are weak and armed groups—including Islamic State‑linked ADF militants and ethnic militias—regularly attack civilians. North and South Kivu provinces, also affected, have endured decades of violence. The Rwanda‑backed M23 group controls swathes of territory and has reported Ebola cases in cities such as Goma and Bukavu.
Millions displaced by fighting now live in overcrowded camps with poor hygiene. Nearly a million are in Ituri alone, raising fears of rapid spread. “If Ebola comes, we’ll be wiped out as we’re packed like sardines,” said Dorcas Mapenzi at Kingonze camp near Bunia.
Neighbouring states have tightened borders. Uganda imposed a 21‑day quarantine for arrivals from the DRC, while Rwanda closed crossings. The United States last week banned entry for non‑US passport holders who had recently visited Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan.