NAIROBI, Kenya- A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed more than 100 people, raising fears of a wider regional health crisis as neighbouring Uganda confirmed at least one Ebola-linked death.
The outbreak, centred in the conflict-hit Ituri Province in eastern DRC, has rapidly escalated over recent days, with health authorities warning that the true scale of infections could be far worse due to limited testing capacity and difficult access to affected areas.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a dangerous variant for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has already declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing the “scale and speed” of infections and growing fears of cross-border transmission.
Health officials say suspected cases have climbed to nearly 500, while reported deaths have surpassed 130 in some estimates.
The virus has heavily affected mining towns and remote communities in Ituri Province, where decades of armed conflict, displacement and weak healthcare systems have complicated efforts to contain the disease.
One Ebola-linked death has already been confirmed in Uganda after a Congolese man travelled across the border and later died in Kampala.
Ugandan authorities have since heightened surveillance and emergency response measures amid fears of wider transmission.
Residents in eastern DRC told media outlets they are living in fear as the outbreak spreads through villages and towns already struggling with insecurity and poverty.
Some families have reportedly avoided hospitals due to fear and mistrust, while health workers are facing shortages of protective gear, testing kits and treatment supplies.
The WHO and international partners, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Africa CDC, have deployed emergency response teams and medical supplies to the affected regions.
However, officials warn that funding shortages and insecurity remain major obstacles.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals and causes symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and internal bleeding. The disease can be fatal if not detected and managed early.
The DRC has experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks over the past decades, including one between 2018 and 2020 that killed nearly 2,300 people.
