Congo’s Ebola outbreak surpassed 4,000 deaths, as health authorities struggle to contain the Bundibugyo strain amid escalating violence in Ituri province. The crisis deepened after an Ebola transit center burned down in a displacement camp, forcing thousands to flee and halting contact-tracing efforts.
Death Toll Crosses Four Thousand as Outbreak Accelerates in Eastern Congo
The cumulative death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has climbed to 4,018 out of 8,300 recorded cases, according to official government data released by the Health Ministry. Public health authorities note that the ongoing epidemic, which began when the outbreak was declared on May 15, has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. The crisis is driven by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, which lacks any known treatment or vaccine. With a recorded case fatality rate of 48.4 per cent, the outbreak has surpassed the 2018–2020 emergency to become the largest and deadliest ever recorded in the country, remaining second only to the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic.
The epidemic has spread across seven provinces. While the overall number of newly confirmed cases has slowed in some areas, transmission has intensified in new hotspots. The World Health Organization has warned that the virus’s rapid spread into new health zones is stretching limited response resources thin.
Kigonze Treatment Center Destroyed as Thousands Flee Displacement Camp
Operations in Ituri province suffered a severe blow when an eight-bed Ebola transit center at the Kigonze displacement site in Bunia was destroyed by fire. Operated by International Medical Corps and supported by more than 50 staff members—many of whom are themselves displaced—the facility served a camp hosting nearly 19,000 people. The destruction followed security incidents sparked by soldiers entering the site to search for weapons and individuals suspected of belonging to non-State armed groups, accompanied by the sound of gunshots.
Residents faced armed violence, threats and intimidation. Echoing those concerns, Damien Mama noted that the civilian character of the site must be preserved and that families who have already lost everything
must be able to find safety and dignity where they have find refuge.
The ensuing exodus has severely disrupted medical care and surveillance. Approximately 1,000 direct contacts of Ebola patients were living in the camp, but authorities have managed to trace only about one-fifth of them after residents fled to areas outside government control. Julien Harneis, the United Nations senior Ebola coordinator, warned that losing the facility deals a heavy blow to regional capacity.
“When we lose a centre, that means we lose capacity, we lose investment, and we have to start again. Above all, it means that people do not get access to the care that they really need.”
Julien Harneis, UN Senior Ebola Coordinator in the DRC
The security deterioration extends beyond Bunia. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that two Ebola responders were killed in Lubero, located in neighboring North Kivu province, during late-September fighting.
Health Workers Strike Over Unpaid Wages Amid Deepening Community Mistrust
Front-line responders are also contending with severe administrative strain. Surveillance team members and other health workers gathered in Bunia to protest unpaid wages, waving placards with slogans such as No money, no data!
and No payment for months.
Meanwhile, international aid personnel face direct risks; a staff member with Médecins Sans Frontières was infected with Ebola and evacuated to the Netherlands.
Containment efforts continue to face community resistance and mistrust. Although authorities launched a village-centered approach last month to educate residents, some skeptics continue to dismiss the disease as a fabrication, and a local politician was beaten to death after defending government containment measures.
Mobile Laboratories Deployed to Accelerate Testing in Eastern Congo
To bypass logistical bottlenecks and speed up diagnosis, health authorities have deployed mobile laboratories to hard-hit areas such as Butembo, where a facility operates near an Ebola treatment center with support from Uganda. Michel Ngimba of the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale explained the tactical flexibility of the units, noting that the mobile labs make it easier to reach locations that are usually difficult to access.
“So we can go, if today we have an emergency, for example, in Katwa, we can start up the vehicle, and we can move the lab to Katwa.”
Michel Ngimba, INRB Butembo
These mobile units have dramatically reduced turnaround times. Test results that previously took up to 72 hours can now be obtained within 24 hours and sometimes in as little as six hours.