Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo claims 80 lives

Outbreak amid worsening regional security

Uganda has already confirmed one imported Ebola case linked to the outbreak. According to Ugandan health authorities, a 59-year-old Congolese man died in a Kampala hospital after testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain. Officials said no local transmission has yet been detected in Uganda. Reuters reported that the patient had travelled from eastern Congo before being admitted to intensive care.

Africa CDC warned that mining-related mobility, dense urban settlements in Bunia and Rwampara, and large-scale population movement across borders significantly increase the risk of regional spread. The agency has convened an emergency coordination meeting involving the DRC, Uganda, South Sudan, WHO and international partners to strengthen cross-border surveillance and response systems.

The outbreak is unfolding amid worsening insecurity in Ituri province, where clashes involving armed groups have displaced thousands of civilians and strained already fragile health infrastructure. Reuters reported that humanitarian agencies have warned of deteriorating sanitation conditions in displacement camps, raising concerns about rapid disease transmission.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a severe viral disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal bleeding and organ failure. According to WHO estimates, the disease has an average fatality rate of around 50%, although rates vary depending on the outbreak and availability of treatment.

The DRC’s deadliest Ebola outbreak occurred between 2018 and 2020, when nearly 2,300 people died in the country’s east. Last year, another outbreak in Kasai province killed 45 people before it was declared over in December.