The Democratic Republic of the Congo is grappling with more than 900 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola and 220 suspected deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said, according to UN News. The outbreak, which WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spreading faster than health workers can contain it. The agency has upgraded its national risk assessment in the DRC from high to very high. Neighbouring countries, including Uganda, where five cases and one death have been confirmed, are at especially high risk. Efforts to contain the disease are being severely hampered by community distrust and active violence.
The epicentre of the outbreak lies in the troubled east of the DRC, where local communities harbor deep distrust of outside authorities. This distrust is significantly increasing the risk of disease transmission, complicating health responses. The region has also been beset by intense fighting, causing the displacement of more than 100,000 people. In recent days, two treatment centres were set on fire in the area. Outbreaks of the Bundibugyo virus stretch back almost 20 years, yet no approved vaccines or therapeutics currently exist.
Marie Roseline Belizaire, Director of Emergency Response for WHO Africa, told UN News that the attacks on treatment centres are linked to misinformation campaigns circulating on social media. These campaigns are significantly slowing case investigations and limiting the ability of healthcare teams to reach affected communities. Strict protocols surrounding the burial of suspected Ebola victims have also fueled anger among the population. Authorities in north-east DRC have banned funeral wakes involving more than 50 people. Armed soldiers and police have been guarding burials carried out by health workers.
To address community resistance, WHO is working with traditional local leaders and healers to intensify engagement and improve the safety of outside health workers. Families of victims are granted access to mourn their loved ones but are not permitted to touch the body, to protect them from the virus. “We offer the family protective equipment,” Dr. Belizaire explained, “so that they can assist in placing their loved one in a body bag and pray over them.” WHO has recommended prioritising two antibodies in clinical trials. It is also evaluating the antiviral obeldesivir in a clinical trial as a treatment for high-risk contacts.
The UN health agency is urgently scaling up operations on the ground across multiple fronts. These include contact tracing, establishing treatment centres, and strengthening laboratory capacity. Additional measures cover case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and community engagement. Some $3.9 million has been released from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies to help fund these activities. The response continues as the outbreak evolves across the DRC and into neighbouring territories.
