A rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has triggered an international health emergency, with the World Health Organization confirming over 300 cases of a rare and deadly strain for which no vaccine exists—a development that has already prompted Pakistan to strengthen screening measures at its airports.
The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in mid-May as the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola spread across northeastern Congo’s Ituri province and into neighbouring Uganda. By early June, health officials confirmed 321 laboratory-tested cases in Congo and nine in Uganda, with 48 deaths recorded in Congo alone and one fatality reported across the border.
The Bundibugyo strain, first identified in 2007, carries a mortality rate between 30 and 50 percent and has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. This stands in stark contrast to the more common Zaire strain, for which vaccines exist, though that variant carries an even higher fatality rate of 60 to 90 percent.
“The Bundibugyo strain has no vaccine, no specific treatment,” Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba warned as the crisis unfolded. “This strain has a very high lethality rate which can reach 50%.”
The outbreak’s epicentre in Ituri province—a gold-mining hub plagued by militia violence and poor infrastructure—has complicated response efforts dramatically. Health workers face not only logistical nightmares in transporting medical supplies across a country four times the size of France with minimal road networks, but also violent attacks from communities suspicious of outside intervention.
At least three attacks on medical facilities occurred in late May, including two assaults on Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital that allowed more than two dozen Ebola patients to flee. In one incident, unidentified individuals burned isolation tents erected by Médecins Sans Frontières, while another attack by relatives of a deceased religious leader resulted in seven patients escaping and one critically ill patient dying while attempting to flee.
“There is denial of the disease within the population, with some members wanting to claim the bodies of suspected and confirmed cases,” explained Dr Richard Lokodu, medical director of the targeted hospital. The attacks echo similar violence during Congo’s devastating 2018-2020 outbreak that killed more than 2,300 people and resulted in the deaths of over 25 health workers.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern about “the scale and speed of the epidemic” during an emergency meeting in Geneva. By late May, he reported nearly 750 suspected cases in Congo, though subsequent investigation ruled out hundreds of these, bringing the confirmed count to 321 by early June.
The virus has spread beyond Ituri into North and South Kivu provinces, reaching the commercial hub of Butembo and even Goma, a key provincial capital currently controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group. The front lines of ongoing conflict run directly through affected provinces, severely hampering humanitarian access.
“Humanitarian access and coordination between the various stakeholders, particularly the parties to the conflict, could be one of the challenges for the response,” warned François Moreillon of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Uganda reported its first cases in mid-May when two individuals who travelled from Congo tested positive in Kampala, with one death confirmed. By early June, Uganda’s case count had risen to 15, including six new cases confirmed among contacts of previous patients.
The international response has been hampered by severe funding shortages. Tedros revealed that the WHO had received only one-third of required funding when he arrived in Congo in late May to coordinate the response. Médecins Sans Frontières warned that the outbreak was spreading at an unprecedented pace, with more cases recorded sooner after declaration than any previous Ebola outbreak.
“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” said Alan Gonzalez, MSF deputy director of operations, adding that the level of support on the ground remained “far short of what is required.”
The United States announced screening measures for air passengers from outbreak-hit areas and temporarily suspended visa services. Germany prepared to receive and treat an American doctor who contracted the virus while working for a Christian NGO in the affected region.
Ebola, believed to originate in bats, spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals who become contagious only after symptoms appear. The incubation period can last up to 21 days, and symptoms include fever, severe bleeding, and vomiting. Unsafe burials, where family members handle bodies without protective equipment, remain a leading driver of transmission.
The WHO upgraded its risk assessment from high to very high at the national level by late May, though regional risk remained high and global risk stayed low. However, the organization warned that “significant uncertainties” existed regarding the true number of infected persons and geographic spread, suggesting the outbreak could be “potentially much larger than what is currently being detected and reported.”
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi urged citizens to remain calm and take precautions while directing the government to intensify response efforts. WHO officials emphasized the critical importance of community engagement, with Tedros stating during his visit to Bunia that “the communities understand the problems better and they know the solution as well.”
This marks Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976. The previous outbreak in August 2025 killed at least 34 people before being declared eradicated in December. Over the past half century, Ebola has claimed approximately 15,000 lives across Africa despite advances in vaccines and treatment for certain strains.
