By Desmond Nleya
A deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed at least 88 lives, with health officials warning the actual number of infections could be significantly higher as the virus spreads into major urban centres, including Goma.
The outbreak, linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has triggered a global alarm after the World Health Organization officially declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, head of the National Institute of Biomedical Research, confirmed that the epicentre of the outbreak is the Mongbwalu health zone. Cases have rapidly spread to Bunia, Rwampara and now Goma — one of eastern Congo’s largest and busiest cities.
“The epidemic is likely to spread very rapidly,” Muyembe warned, noting that ongoing armed conflict in the region is making containment efforts extremely difficult.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, authorities have recorded 336 suspected cases alongside the growing death toll. Aid organisation Doctors Without Borders has already begun preparing a large-scale emergency response.
No Approved Vaccine for Current Strain
Unlike the more common Zaire strain of Ebola — for which vaccines are available — the Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Health experts say the fatality rate can reach up to 50 percent.
DR Congo’s Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said the first known patient was a nurse who developed symptoms in Bunia on April 24. Neighboring Uganda has also confirmed one death linked to the same strain.
Fragile Health System Struggling
Local civil society groups say overwhelmed hospitals, insecurity and poor infrastructure are worsening the crisis.
“There is nowhere to isolate the sick. Many are dying at home, and relatives are handling bodies themselves,” said community activist Isaac Nyakulinda in Bunia.
Limited laboratory testing and inaccessible rural areas are also raising fears that the outbreak may already be far larger than official figures indicate.
The WHO warned that rising positivity rates, cross-border infections and increasing suspected cases all point to “a potentially much larger outbreak.”
Region on High Alert
This marks the 17th Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, a nation of more than 100 million people. The country’s deadliest Ebola epidemic, between 2018 and 2020, killed nearly 2,300 people.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and symptoms include fever, vomiting, weakness and internal bleeding. The virus can incubate for up to 21 days before symptoms appear.
Health authorities say the coming weeks will be critical as international agencies race to contain the outbreak before it escalates further across the region.
