The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is on high alert as Ebola infections continue to climb in affected areas, prompting renewed international concern over the scale and spread of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern, while noting that it does not meet the threshold of a global pandemic emergency. The declaration comes as authorities grapple with a rapidly evolving outbreak in eastern DRC and parts of neighbouring Uganda.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that, in addition to several dozen confirmed infections, there are nearly 600 suspected Ebola cases and 139 suspected deaths.

“We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected,”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Uganda has also confirmed infections in its capital, Kampala, underscoring the cross-border nature of the outbreak and heightening fears of wider regional transmission across porous frontiers in Central and East Africa.

At the centre of the crisis is the rare Ebola Bundibugyo virus strain, which has not been seen since 2007 and currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Health experts say this limitation is complicating response efforts, forcing health teams to rely on supportive care, isolation, and strict containment measures to slow transmission.

In eastern DRC’s Ituri province, one of the hardest-hit and most insecure regions, WHO teams are working closely with local communities to improve awareness and strengthen early detection. However, ongoing insecurity and weak health infrastructure continue to hinder effective outbreak control and delay reporting of new cases.

The region’s long history of conflict, particularly in mineral-rich areas, has left many communities vulnerable and placed additional strain on already fragile health systems. Health workers, often operating under dangerous conditions, remain at the forefront of efforts to contain the spread as authorities race to prevent further escalation.

WHO Sounds Alarm Over Ebola Surge in Conflict-Ridden Ituri Region

ebola 4 — Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

World Health Organization (WHO) has raised urgent concern over the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that the crisis is unfolding in one of the country’s most volatile and conflict-affected regions.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, more than two million people are currently internally displaced across Ituri and North Kivu, where ongoing activity by armed groups continues to disrupt civilian life and weaken already fragile health systems. Humanitarian agencies say these conditions are significantly complicating outbreak response efforts.

WHO officials on the ground noted that they remain committed to maintaining operations despite the insecurity.

Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO Regional Emergency Director (ad interim) and Incident Manager, stressed that teams have continued working in the region without interruption.

“We always have a team in Goma and we always continue to provide support to the population. We never left Goma during all the insecurity happening, so we will continue staying to provide the security to the community we serve”
Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire

However, health experts warn that detecting and tracking Ebola cases in such an environment remains extremely difficult. Insecurity, limited access to laboratories, and frequent population movement are all slowing efforts to identify and isolate infections before they spread further.

Surveillance challenges are particularly severe in Ituri, where what WHO officials describe as “danger zone conditions” have made accurate reporting heavily dependent on community engagement and the functionality of local health systems.

WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, noted that in remote and insecure areas, delays are inevitable as suspected samples must often be transported long distances for confirmation.

Authorities are now focused on breaking chains of transmission while the full extent of the outbreak is still being established.

Health experts have also moved to clarify how Ebola spreads, stressing that transmission occurs through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals rather than through airborne routes.

Prof Lucille H Blumberg, Chair of the WHO Emergency Committee, warned against misinformation-driven panic measures. “It’s not casual contact, it’s not airborne travel restrictions, which are not supported under the International Health Regulations,” she stated.

Even so, she cautioned that controlling the virus remains extremely challenging in settings marked by humanitarian crises, insecurity, and high population mobility conditions that heighten the risk of cross-border spread, especially in areas with porous borders and weak health infrastructure.

Despite these efforts, officials caution that the situation remains highly fluid. With suspected cases continuing to rise and investigations still underway to determine the full scale of the outbreak, health authorities are bracing for a challenging containment effort in the weeks ahead.