The Democratic Republic of Congo’s fast-moving Ebola epidemic has reached a sixth province following a fatality in the previously unaffected Bas-Uele province, according to the head of Africa’s Inquirer. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that a man died in Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, after traveling there from Isiro in Haut-Uele province. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, head of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, identified the patient as a motorcycle taxi driver who developed hemorrhagic symptoms consistent with Ebola and tested positive after his death, according to Reuters.
Congo Ebola Outbreak Reaches Sixth Province as Total Cases Top 4,500
Government data released on Wednesday indicated that the ongoing crisis has infected 4,566 people and caused 2,128 deaths, establishing it as the second-largest outbreak in history behind the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic. The current emergency stems from the rare Bundibugyo virus, which features a case fatality rate of 45.9%. Health authorities declared the outbreak on May 15, though sequencing later revealed it began months earlier in February. Officials have noted that the current trajectory is outpacing the historical 2014-2016 epidemic, reaching its death toll thresholds almost three times faster.
Response Challenges, Strikes, and Widening Spread
Efforts to contain the virus continue to face severe operational obstacles, including rebel conflict, bad roads, interrupted communications, and work stoppages over payment issues. In Ituri province — which holds approximately 90% of all cases and 80% of deaths — health workers at the Nizi Treatment Center went on strike over three months of unpaid salaries, resulting in a temporary center closure. Kaseya urged the Congolese government to settle the outstanding wages, emphasizing that fair compensation for health personnel is a government obligation.
Public health experts warn that the virus’s footprint is continuing to widen. The aid group Mercy Corps reported that Ebola cases have emerged along a major travel route roughly 35 kilometers from the border with South Sudan, although no cases have been confirmed in South Sudan thus far. In Bas-Uele, Muyembe noted that the infected motorcycle taxi driver visited multiple health facilities before passing away, and local police had to intervene when fellow drivers attempted to retrieve the body, creating heightened fears of widespread exposure.
Experimental Treatments and Clinical Trials Amid Misinformation
Because the Bundibugyo virus lacks approved vaccines or treatments, clinical trials for two potential treatments and two vaccines developed specifically for this strain have begun in Ituri province. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the U.K., explained that control measures rely heavily on identifying cases early and nursing patients in secure facilities, noting that routine surveillance in remote, conflict-affected regions makes early detection exceptionally difficult.
Medical staff have also encountered widespread misinformation and community wariness toward outsiders stemming from historical rebel attacks. Dr. Jean-Marie Akandabo, a clinician managing patients in Ituri, highlighted that limited care and poor community engagement remain major hurdles alongside delayed symptom reporting. While authorities have restricted public gatherings and shut the main airport in Ituri, continuous population movements driven by trade, gold mining, and conflict displacement continue to fuel the spread of the virus.
Worth a look
